Just Kids from the Bronx

November 24, 2014
Alda has compiled a fabulous collection of 65 brief oral histories from a wide range of people who began their lives in the Bronx. The assortment of childhood memories begin as far back as the 1920s, move through the 1940s and 1950s, and end with those born in the late 1980s. Contributors include Carl Reiner, Colin Powell, and—among younger names—dancer Amar Ramasar and Bronx borough president Ruben Diaz Jr. While the borough’s underdog status is acknowledged (Odgen Nash’s “The Bronx? No Thonx?” gets quoted), the general tenor is fond and wistful. Mary Higgins Clark sets the tone by dubbing the area one of “only three places in the world that have a the in front of their names: the Vatican, The Hague, and the Bronx.” Stories often recall the mundane: stickball in the streets, trying to get “home before dark,” the unforgettable smell of bakeries and delis. Al Pacino recalls teachers who changed his life, and an urban planner remembers his mother drilling him on the subway system before sending him off alone at age 9. There are few readers who won’t be touched by this affectionate look backward, which is as much about the universal state of childhood as the specific borough of the Bronx.

Starred review from May 25, 2015
Memories of the serenity and cleanliness of the Bronx river and its population of snapping turtles; taking turns answering the one phone in the building; lively congregations on rooftops; playing outside at a time when sports were spontaneous and free, in a culture of letting
kids play outside: these are just a smattering of the memories in the 60-plus stories shared by a myriad of people who grew up in the Bronx. The storytellers range from 92-year-old Carl Reiner to 23-year-old Eric Zeiglerand and include political figures such as Colin Powell and celebrities such as actor Al Pacino and author Mary Higgins Clark. Though the stories are as diverse as the people telling them, there is a common thread of warmth and fondness in their childhood memories. The stories highlight America’s rich roots and a core attitude that schools and parents, as well as teachers and temples, were an important part of the storytellers’ communities and lives. The numerous voices presenting these oral histories are flowing, velvety, glib, humorous, and always passionate. Though not all the narrators have as clear or resonant a voice as one of the main narrators, actor Alan Alda (the author’s husband), the variation adds to the overall sense of diversity and the authenticity of the stories. This is an informative and heartwarming retrospective of life in the Bronx, in addition to an enlightening look at the changes in our society and culture. A Holt hardcover.