Trust Your Mother, But Cut the Cards

In this delightful collection of columns, most from the New York Observer with a few from the New York Times and the Nation , Zion ( Markers ) ranges from the frivolous to the tragic, employing mock indignation and furious, elemental complaint. He begins with a series of pieces alleging that history has slighted the Jews in favor of the Italians in accounts of American mobdom during the first half of this century. A cigar smoker and a drinker, Zion inveighs against ``the Fitness Fascists, the Smoke Fascists and the Booze Fascists'' as primarily responsible for the decline of the Great White Way. He has his say about the press, the drug problem, Jim Garrison and George Bush, then adds vignettes about growing up in Passaic, New Jersey. On a more serious note, Zion presents a ringing defense of Israel and tells of the death of his daughter as a result of medical malpractice. Zion will captivate readers. (July)