A Song for Mary - by Dennis Smith (Paperback)

About the Book

In the tradition of "Angela's Ashes" and "Snow in August" comes a memoir of growing up Irish and poor that movingly testifies to the power of family, from the author of the two-million-copy bestseller "Report from Engine Company 82."

Book Synopsis

Growing up in the rough and tumble of New York City in the 1940s and 50s, Dennis Smith was dirt-poor, Irish Catholic and missing a father. Told in a first person narrative, this is a powerful odyssey of a young man coming of age in a confusing world.

From the Back Cover

Dennis Smith first ignited critical praise with Report from Engine Co. 82, a book drawn from his experiences as a New York City fireman. Now Smith returns with a new, passionately acclaimed memoir: a boisterous, poignant, often hilarious look at growing up Irish, Catholic, and poor on the sidewalks of New York. Here -- even as he dodges the slaps of merciless nuns and learns how to wallop a punching bag -- he is haunted by the specter of his mysteriously absent father. But it is Smith's mother, hardworking, no-nonsense Mary, who leads him by the hand to his Irish heritage and pulls him by the ear into adulthood. This loving reminiscence pays homage to her...to the undying strength of family and faith...and to the indestructible bond between mothers and sons.

Review Quotes

"BRIGHT AND IMMEDIATE AND RICH, WITH HEARTBREAKINGLY HONEST DETAIL...SOME OF IT IS WONDERFULLY FUNNY, AND SOME OF IT IS POWERFUL, AND ALL OF IT IS ABSOLUTELY RIGHT AND TRUE....A SONG FOR MARY WILL BE AS VIVID AND VALUABLE TOMORROW AS IT IS TODAY".

-- Washington Post Book World