Whiz Kid

WHIZ KID, by Joel Burcat and David S. Burcat, transports listeners to 1950 Philadelphia, where Ben Green, a decorated World War II veteran from Camden, NJ, is completing his senior year at the University of Pennsylvania. A gifted writer, Ben dreams of becoming a novelist, but the weight of responsibility looms large. His closest friend and war buddy, Stan Ledyard, urges him to join his father’s powerful advertising firm in Center City. At home, Ben’s wife, Debby, hopes he will choose the security of that job—especially with their first child on the way—and leave behind their cramped apartment above her father’s button shop in South Philly’s bustling Jewish market, “The Zibbiter.”

While committed to finishing his novel, Ben becomes entangled with Ilene Van Cleve, a wealthy and charismatic classmate who tempts him with a life far from his working-class, Jewish upbringing. As Ben navigates this crossroads, he encounters both blatant antisemitism and the subtler prejudices of Philadelphia’s Main Line elite, as well as the harsh realities of racial injustice.

A comfortable future in advertising, complete with Main Line mansions and country clubs, lies within his grasp. Yet, his in-laws quietly nudge him toward a more traditional Jewish life, rooted in family and community.

Set against the electrifying backdrop of the Philadelphia Phillies’ underdog run to the 1950 World Series, Ben’s journey mirrors the broader struggles of a changing city and generation. WHIZ KID is a stirring coming-of-age story about ambition, loyalty, identity, personal sacrifice—and the price of following one's dreams.