by Joe Queenan
First published 2009
Joe Queenan navigates childhood in a Philadelphia housing project during the 1960s. His father drinks heavily and erupts without warning, filling their small apartment with tension. Joe watches his mother struggle while searching for stability among teachers, coaches, and other men who step into his life as guides. The concrete hallways echo with arguments, but Joe finds escape in library books and records that transport him beyond the project's boundaries. Music becomes his companion during long nights when his father's rage makes home feel dangerous. Each book he reads and song he hears builds a bridge toward something different. Joe must decide whether to repeat his father's patterns or break free through the knowledge he gathers. The story follows his determination to create a future that his Irish Catholic community never promised him.
Genres: american-fiction, addiction, abuse, 20th-century, coming-of-age
Vibes: emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: found-family, overcoming-adversity
Setting: Philadelphia, Philadelphia Housing Project
Period: 1960s
352 pages · Hardcover · Viking Adult
Content warnings: alcohol-abuse, domestic-violence, physical-abuse