Historical Fiction
Date Published: 07-01-2025
Publisher: Sunbury Press, Inc.
Whiz Kid is a powerful coming-of-age novel set in 1950 Philadelphia,
where Jewish Navy veteran Ben Green faces impossible choices.
Pressured by his pregnant wife to finish his novel or take a secure job at a prestigious ad agency, Ben must also navigate the era’s class divisions and antisemitism. His best friend’s elite world clashes with his working-class South Philly roots and Jewish identity.
Temptation, ambition, and loyalty collide—especially when Ilene, a captivating classmate, threatens to unravel his carefully balanced life. As the Phillies’ Whiz Kids chase a pennant, Ben’s own reckoning builds to a climax, culminating in a surprising decision that redefines his future.
Co-written with David S. Burcat, Joel Burcat’s late father, Whiz Kid is a deeply American story of resilience, legacy, and the true cost of following one’s heart.
Interview
Is There a Message in Your Novel That You Want Readers to Grasp?
Yes, there are several messages. The first is how important it is to be true to yourself. For each person that is different. Many people will think they know what is best for you—your spouse, best friends, relatives. It’s up to each of us to make a decision regarding what we want and what we feel is best.
Other lessons are the importance of being a good friend; being true to your spouse and friends; and staying on the path you have chosen for yourself.
There is a cost to our ambition and we have to weigh that cost against how important the goal is.
Finally, many of us have faced prejudice. We need to persevere in the face of that prejudice and hold true to our values.
Is there anything you find particularly challenging in your writing?
I find that the most challenging thing is keeping the plot moving along at a reasonable pace. No one wants to read a book that drags. There may be times when a character stops and smells a rose, but for the most part you want the plot to take you from point A to point B. I’ve read books where the plot meanders and find that I skim those sections, waiting for the author to take us back to the main story. Telling the story in a way that is satisfying, doesn’t drag, and doesn’t move too fast is a challenge.
How many books have you written and which is your favorite?
I’ve completed eleven novel length manuscripts. My most recent published novel is Whiz Kid and that is my fifth published novel. I have another book coming out in a few months called Temperature Rising. That is a suspenseful psychological thriller involving climate change. I like each of my books for a different reason. Asking which is my favorite is a little like asking a father which is his favorite child. Right now, Whiz Kid is my favorite. That’s because I love the story, the characters, and the dialogue. I also love the fact that my father contributed to it and his name is on the cover along with mine.
If you had the chance to cast your main character from Hollywood today, who would you pick and why?
This is a tough question as I’m not all that well-versed on Hollywood actors. To cast Ben Green from Whiz Kid—a 25-year-old Jewish WWII Navy veteran, Silver Star recipient, thoughtful aspiring writer, and a man torn between duty and dreams—you need someone who can carry emotional depth, vulnerability, quiet strength, and intelligence. He also needs to feel authentic to 1950 Philadelphia and be plausibly Jewish (or convincingly play it).
If anyone has any ideas, I’d love to know them in case Steven Spielberg calls!
When did you begin writing?
I wrote fiction in college and then put down my pen when I became a law student. I was just too busy to write fiction. I tried writing again about twenty years later, but again was too busy. Finally, about seventeen or eighteen years ago, I made time to start writing short stories that had been percolating in my mind for a long time. About a year later I began writing my first novel. Since then I’ve completed eleven novel length manuscripts. Five have been published and I think it’s very likely that some of the others will be published as well
How long did it take to complete your first book?
I began writing Whiz Kid as my first novel in 2009. I finished writing the first draft a year later. It was really rough and way too long so, as writers say, I put it in the drawer. A couple of years later I took it out and rewrote the entire book from start to finish. It was better, but still needed work. Again I put it aside and worked on it rom time to time. Finally about three years ago I had my editor work it over and chopped it down to its current length. Then, I rewrote it again. It was published on July 1, 2025. So, a total of sixteen years!
Did you have an author who inspired you to become a writer?
I do not have a single author that inspired me to write. Rather, there are a number of authors whose work I admire and I keep them in the back of my mind when I’m writing. Also, from time to time I read or reread some of their work. This includes Philip Roth, Michael Chabon, Nathan Englander, James Lee Burke, and Elmore Leonard. There are many other writers whom I admire.
What is your favorite part of the writing process?
This may sound weird, but I love it when characters talk to me. Ask most writers and they will tell you that from time to time the characters speak to them. It’s as if they are dictating their dialogue. When I’m writing a book my subconscious never stops working. It’s not unusual for me to dream dialogue, sections, or even whole chapters of a book. On more than one occasion I’ve awakened at 3 AM and run to my laptop to write it down before I forget what I’ve dreamed. I love it when that happens. I don’t even mind that I may only sleep for five hours for days on end!
Describe your latest book in 4 words.
Coming-of-age, historical, heartfelt.
Can you share a little bit about your current work or what is in the future for your writing?
Here is a bit about my next book:
In Temperature Rising, Anna Freeman, an idealistic law student and environmentalist, accidentally uncovers a dangerous conspiracy led by the powerful Institute for Energy Independence (IEI). Set in 1988 in Washington, D.C., she infiltrates IEI with a New York Times reporter's help, posing as a lobbyist, Anna discovers a scheme to silence climate change research through bribery and propaganda. While she gathers evidence, she navigates a risky romance with Coy Young, a Texan lobbyist, and evades IEI's relentless security director, Rolf Heftig. When Anna unearths the Oslo file—proof linking fossil fuels to climate change—she must outmaneuver Heftig in a daring bid to expose the truth, risking everything in a gripping tale of political intrigue and ethical choices.
Combining heart-pounding political intrigue, romance, and moral quandaries, Temperature Rising is a gripping thriller perfect for fans of The Firm and The Constant Gardener.
I continue writing all the time. I hope to alternate between writing a thriller and the Ben Green saga. That will satisfy both sides of my brain.
About the Author
Joel Burcat is a novelist and retired lawyer living in Harrisburg, Pa.
His previous novels, Reap the Wind, Drink to Every Beast, Amid Rage, and
Strange Fire have been award-winning thrillers. He is a Gold Medal Winner from
Readers’ Favorite, a Finalist of the Next Gen Indie Book Awards, and a
winner of the PennWriters Annual Writing Contest. Strange Fire was a Kirkus
Reviews Best Book of the Week.
David S. Burcat was a Navy corpsman in World War II, a graduate of University of Pennsylvania (English Literature and Dentistry), and a proud son of Camden NJ and his adopted town of Philadelphia. He worked in advertising in the 1950s before returning to Penn to study dentistry. He wrote Match Point, the novella within the novel, in about 1950. He died in 1998. Whiz Kid- A Novel is his first published book. Dave was the father of co-author, Joel Burcat.
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