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Summary: One of the most important books I've ever read
Review: I read -- A LOT -- and this is one of the most disturbing, compelling, depressing and uplifting books I have ever read. My childhood could not have been more different than Michael MacDonald's (except for Irish roots), but I felt I knew everyone in this book. I wanted to take every single MacDonald child -- and Helen -- and put my arms around them and protect them and assure them they were loved. I canNOT say I "enjoyed" this book -- it was too gritty and honest a portrayal of good and decent people trying with all their hearts to make the best life possible in a world that fought their efforts every inch of the way. But the book also reached out and embraced me on every page. I didn't want it to end, and I was in tears when it did. For everyone who cares about the lives of others -- those you know as well as the friends you haven't met yet -- this is THE book to read. I would be proud to call every member of the MacDonald family a friend, and I know I will never forget a single one of them. Thank you, Michael MacDonald, for writing this book. Write another one soon.
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Summary: Careful in judging "Ma"
Review: The timing of this amazing work couldn't be more relevant to the struggles kids face today, and the increasingly explosive concequences of pretending problems are not there or will fix themselves. I worry though that when situations such as the MacDonald family's are open to public judgement, mothers like "Ma" are unjustly persecuted, as can be seen in a few of the reader's comments, for issues that society creates and that are the responsibility of our entire society. This is an underlying point that this book screams. Frank's death in particular was due to a tragic mistake, not a lifetime of parental neglect, and one that may never have presented itself had our governing bodies, and therefore our society for keeping them there, not allowed drugs and gangsters to control communities. "Ma" and Michael are to be praised for their courage.
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Summary: The most inspiring book I've ever picked up
Review: This book made me realize that you never truly understand people or places until you know their history. I've lived in Southie for some time, and I'm familiar with Debbie and the rest of the gang on the Broadway wall, but now I have a deeper understanding of what they've seen and endured in this city. It's humbling. I look at the streets of Southie differently now...with an appreciation of it's turbulent past - but most of all, an appreciation for Mr. MacDonald's strength to tell the truth. His book finally puts into words how a city, so scarred by its past, can still rise above its stigma and truly be the best place on earth. Thank you, Mr. MacDonald, for your honesty and your strength to share the tragic, but inspiring story of your family's history. I've recommended this book to everyone I know. And still, I don't think that's enough.
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Summary: bluntfully truthful to those who were raised in Southie
Review: I have just started reading the book, as I am a medical librarian tech and we just ordered it for patients. I grew up in the early 60's and do I remember Columbia Point Project and the kids that went to the William E. Russell School. One thing that rattled me was the fact that as a child I remember Dave MacDonald coming over to my grandfather's house singing and I also remember the song "Two Years For Non-Support". I am quite certain that Michael's family and my family at one time have crossed paths. He has put down in words what alot of people from Southie would like to say. Southie was and still is a tight knit community, and I am proud to say that I was raised there also. I can't wait to finish the book. All the best to Michael and his family.
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Summary: A portrait of one Southie family.
Review: I am a New Yorker, married to a Southie. My wife grew up on East 8th Street, not all that far from Old Colony, where Michael MacDonald grew up. My wife and I lived on Columbia Road near the point. So we know the area. I bought the book for my wife and I read it first. I couldn't put it down. I have to disagree with the reviewer who thought the book was a picture of all of Southie. The writer makes no claim that all of Southie was like his family. I enjoyed reading it and comparing the authors experiences with those of my in-laws.
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Summary: Sad Situation
Review: I also read this book because of the controversy surrounding it. As a native of Massachusetts, I had often heard negative stories about Southie as I was growing up in the suburbs. I also believe that should the mother have been more involved with her children and had made better choices in partners, her children would lead more productive lives. All in all, the book was informative and sad. Hopefully, the rest of the family and their children, fare better in life.
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Summary: Good Job Mike, I wish you well.
Review: I grew up in Dorchester which was on the other side of the tracks. Therefore, I already had something wrong with me should I venture to Southie. I was labeled an outsider and wouldn't dare go there alone even though I was white, Irish and Catholic. They were dangerous kids and if one of them accused you of looking at any of them the wrong way, that was enough for a gang beating. They were so full of anger and rage, and they could not ever form a sentence without using a slur of obsenities. I often wondered as a kid how these so called Irish Catholics could be so consumed with hate and venom not only against the rest of society, but towards each other as well. It never made sense to me. I am also Mike's cousin and even though we haven't seen each other since he was a kid, I always felt there was something different about Mike as compared to the rest of the pack. I did go to the apartment a couple of times and the atmosphere was exactly as he described it. Helen getting ready to go out with her accordian, the other tenant's yelling echoing in the halls, Mike at the window or watching TV and the endless metal door slamming from the coming and going activity. I was there for the Frank's funeral, he was a good guy who made a fatal error in judgement just looking for a way out. I also spent a little time with Kathy after her accident. A beautiful girl who loved to dance, now another statistic to the horrors of drugs. What might have been if she had grown up somewhere else is now just speculation. The family's pain was unbearable as one by one they were slipping away. They were caught up in a world of out of control madness with devastating consequences. Mike did an excellent job telling the truth for the most part. I recently drove through Patterson Way on a trip back home, and the sheer gloominess of the street is like a cemetary. It is so sad. For those of you who have read the book and might have wondered what happened to Nellie and her brood of fatherless children as Michael so eloquently pointed out, they all went on to further their educations and are responsible productive citizens. Morals and values begin at home, and what is most crucial to raising children is a loving and stable home that in some cases only the mother can provide. Helen just wouldn't leave, "The Best Place On Earth," under any circumstances. You be the judge of what can and cannot be accomplished raising children alone when you have your priorities in order.
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Summary: Had to write this review after reading the Southie gripes.
Review: First I'd like to say that no, I did not grow up in Southie, and considering the complaints some South Boston readers have toward "one of their own", they will label me an outsider, and this response to their complaints about the book will fall on deaf ears. As an outsider from West Roxbury I grew up in the same era as Michael Patrick MacDonald. My father came from Southie and during the busing riots, ranted that the media were showing people that he often raved were " the s***bags of Southie", and was concerned that these "media people" were doing a great disservice to the "regular" people in Southie. My father grew up in a different South Boston than is described here, he was also a poor kid that grew up in the Old Harbor "projects". This book shows the perspective from those "s***bags" point of view, and I found it to be a real eyeopener, I'm sure my father would have loved this book also. I must say that I am baffled about the two reviews that said that this book portrayed all of Southie as a ghetto, I didn't get that impression, but knowing many different people from Southie, maybe I knew better. This book is a work of genius, and a work of courage because I know the fierce loyalty of South Boston residents, I was raised by one. This book is hard to put down, and I'm glad that I have had the pleasure of "knowing" the MacDonald family through this book. A great and thought provoking book.
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Summary: A fantastic book! A must read.
Review: I remember watching the news coverage of the busing riots from my sheltered North Shore suburb and my Father telling me what terrible racists the South Boston people were. I've now found another side of the story. McDonald shows in plain and compelling language how his neighborhood had convinced themselves that, "Southie is the best place in the world", despite their struggle against poverty, drugs, Whitey Bulger, the government,the press and the cops. This book will open your eyes and show you that there is always another side to the story
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Summary: Unbelievable story- forces you to reflect on your own life
Review: Michael did an incredible job of articulating the paradox that tugged at him. I enjoyed this book but cannot imagine enduring the kind of pain he grew up with. Nevertheless, the book doesn't harp on the negative- it's somehow uplifting and allows hope to shine through tragedy. God bless you Michael.
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