"do black patent leather shoes really reflect up?" was selected for inclusion on the american library association’s list of best books for young adults in 1975. powers wrote the libretto to a broadway musical based loosely on characters and events from his first two novels entitled "do black patent leather shoes really reflect up?" that continues to run in venues nationwide. john was also the author of two one man shows which he also performed. the first "scissors, paper, rock" that was based on his emmy award-winning special "going home" and the second, which ran successfully in chicago, "life's not fair, so what".