Throwback Thursday

Hello Fellow Book Dragons! Tonight’s Gem is coming to us from the recent past, a mere 60 years. This is a diamond, uncut, unpolished, raw, not much shimmer and shine, but we can see the definite potential. This is Gem Maker Philip Cioffari’s “If Anyone Asks, Say I Died From the Heartbreaking Blues”.

First let me say, I loved this book. It’s written in a perfectly plain style. There is not great poetic prose here, nothing flowery. It sounds like the voice of it’s main character, Mr. Joey Hunter, or as his friends call him, Hunt. The year is 1960. The date June 22nd, Hunt’s 18th birthday. He works to help contribute to his college money, where he will start in the Fall. He lives in a working class neighborhood in the Bronx.

I could feel this tale. Cioffari let Hunt tell his story. What he wants to be after college, his true feelings about his summer job, his dream girl, the girl he thinks is his dream girl. His best friends. His dead brother.

This is not angst, this is life. This is life in the 1960’s for working class kids in the Bronx. Gangs, bullies, ethnicities, church, jobs, bars, bands, music, cars, dates, you name it, it’s here. It’s not pretty, but it’s not ugly either. It just is. And that, my fellow Book Dragons, is refreshing. Like a Sno Cone on a hot August day, refreshing. None of the kids are exceedingly rich, hooked on dope, Hunt’s parents are nice, average people, the bullies are bullies and as mean as they come.

If you want to read a book that will take you back in time to a bit of real life that has glass pop bottles, Copper Tone, oldies when they were just hitting the charts, Aqua-net and 18 year old boys just getting used to dancing with girls, this is the book for you. I believe you’ll enjoy it. I certainly did.

Until tomorrow, I remain, your humble Book Dragon,

Drakon T. Longwitten

Thanks to #suzyapprovedbookreviews and #livingstonpress and #philipcioffari for making me part of the tour. My opinions are my own.