Customer Reviews

Beyond By Reason of Childhood

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Most new writers usually suffer a sophomore slump: somehow their sequels never hold up to the success of the first book. This is not the case with Francis Connelly's "Beyond By Reason of Childhood". This continuation of his autobiography takes us from Mr. Connelly's boyhood in Brooklyn to his manhood.

Like the original, this follow-up is filled with the colorful characters that one can only find on the streets of New York City. More precisely, the people Mr. Connelly came in contact with during his many years in the New York Police Department border incredibility. (Then again, only policemen come across the most bizarre of human beings.) As a balance to this, however, are his intimate relations with his friends, and, especially his wife and five children. Special candor is displayed by Mr. Connelly when he describes his bouts with nicotine and alcohol dependencies, and his health problems--specifically, hypoglycemia.

The book also covers a wide-range of subjects: know-nothing "connect the dots" judges, army life, 9/11, etc. And Mr. Connelly's opinions are never disguised. His views on life are often poignant, but the way expresses them are so perfect. My favorite appears near the end of the book:

"I never forget a kindness, but sometimes it takes me a long time to remember it. Come to think of it though, in a lifetime, how many do we receive, and more importantly, how many do we render?"

Good question.

But, as in the first book, there is a load of irony and humor throughout "Beyond By Reason of Childhood" to temper the seriousness. This is Mr. Connelly's unique gift: to draw out the humor from a seemingly humorless world.