Life didn’t do Kenny Tingle any favors. In The Girl in the Italian Bakery, follow his journey from childhood in a tough housing project north of Boston, the abduction and disappearance of a childhood friend, to the complete destruction of a family. His introduction to crime and the years he spent in foster homes. The poor choices he made in high school and the startling climax on prom night. Although he never has trouble meeting girls, the one girl he longs for always seems out of reach. The Girl in the Italian Bakery is the remarkably true story of always keeping hope, even when there is little left to hope for. This is a story of surviving through extreme adversity, and, ultimately, redemption.
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Book Description
Editorial Reviews
About the Author
Author Kenneth M. Tingle is a former United States Marine. His various duties included membership in a security detachment for the U.S. embassy, Cairo, Egypt. He holds degrees in Health Care Management and Registered Nursing, both earned with honors. As a college student he was inducted into Phi Theta Kappa, the national honor society. He has worked in numerous medical specialties, including Cardio-Pulmonary medicine at Spaulding Rehabilitative Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, considered one of the best hospitals in the United States (U.S. News and World Report). He has worked for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in both the Department of Public Health and Department of Mental Retardation. He enjoys jogging and physical fitness, as well as spending time with wife Kathy, son Ken Jr., and daughter Nicole. He lives in Windham, New Hampshire.
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
95 of 102 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
To read the blurb, you would think that Kenny Tingle was born and everything was downhill from there. That is not the case. His life had a lot of downhill runs but, ultimately, this is a memoir of hope. He overcame his upbringing to become a substantial citizen.
We are introduced to Kenny when he is about six, the youngest of three boys, the oldest of whom has mental disabilities. They are being raised by a single mother in Lawrence, Massachusetts. Although there is no indication why, she does not seem able to handle the boys and after a while does not take an active part in their upbringing.
This is a rare look at white urban poor. Kenny gets into the foster system for good and for ill depending upon the foster parents. He drops out of school, goes back, works while in school, drinks, smokes, commits crimes, enjoys hijinks with friends, yet overcomes it all. This is testimony to the human spirit (not to mention the Marine Corps).
The book is well-written and the characters seem like something out of a modern day Dickens tale - indicating how some things have not changed in a few hundred years. Mr. Tingle is brutally honest about his faults and short-comings and more than modest about how his efforts lifted him out of the mire of crime-ridden poverty.
This is a stark look at youth in a depressed old mill city. Ultimately, you'll just have to smile at Kenny's destiny.
We are introduced to Kenny when he is about six, the youngest of three boys, the oldest of whom has mental disabilities. They are being raised by a single mother in Lawrence, Massachusetts. Although there is no indication why, she does not seem able to handle the boys and after a while does not take an active part in their upbringing.
This is a rare look at white urban poor. Kenny gets into the foster system for good and for ill depending upon the foster parents. He drops out of school, goes back, works while in school, drinks, smokes, commits crimes, enjoys hijinks with friends, yet overcomes it all. This is testimony to the human spirit (not to mention the Marine Corps).
The book is well-written and the characters seem like something out of a modern day Dickens tale - indicating how some things have not changed in a few hundred years. Mr. Tingle is brutally honest about his faults and short-comings and more than modest about how his efforts lifted him out of the mire of crime-ridden poverty.
This is a stark look at youth in a depressed old mill city. Ultimately, you'll just have to smile at Kenny's destiny.
37 of 39 people found the following review helpful
By H. Vigeant
Format:Paperback
I bought this book initially because I work in Lawrence,MA where the author grew up and was interested in reading about how things have changed in the city. I had NO IDEA I would be in for such an amazing story about the author's life. My heart was breaking to read about his trials and obstacles in life. He certainly encountered more than most.When I finished reading the book, I was still thinking about how someone with so much adversity in life could come so far..
It was inspirational in a sense and I could see why his story needed to be told. I only wish there was a little more in the end of the book about how he came to be so successful today and was able to overcome his past.
Outstanding book. I read it in one day and would recommend highly.
It was inspirational in a sense and I could see why his story needed to be told. I only wish there was a little more in the end of the book about how he came to be so successful today and was able to overcome his past.
Outstanding book. I read it in one day and would recommend highly.
43 of 47 people found the following review helpful
By J. Desjardin
Format:Paperback
It's hard to believe that this is Ken's debut novel. He draws you in from the first page. His life unfolds in the Greater Boston area during the '70's and '80's. Ken grows up amongst chaos with 2 other brothers and a single mother in a rough suburb. He finds himself in and out of foster homes, being torn from his family, and mixing with the wrong crowds. At a very young age, the author experiences much loss and regret. He fantasizes about his future along the way and always wonders if he will ever be with the girl at the bakery. During a young life of constant upheaval, he manages to forgive those people most important to him and pushes himself to go on. This book is a source of inspiration. The author is truly a success story. As a mature young boy, he realized that he was accountable for his own actions and only he could make his life worth living. What is most amazing, is that I grew up only miles away leading a charmed, entitled life. You will laugh and cry as you read, I strongly recommend this book.
21 of 23 people found the following review helpful
By P. Leonard
Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase
The book has nothing to do with the title. At all. I have no idea what pivotal role she played in his life. She was in all of about 20 lines of the whole book over about 3 scenes. Lost opportunity perhaps? Not even opportunity, it wasn't even that much. Staring at a stranger from afar isn't a lost opportunity, and in the story, it was just maddening. It was a vaguely interesting story with far too much unneeded detail at times. I only kept reading because I was waiting for the Girl in the Italian Bakery to become an actual part of the story. And she doesn't.
13 of 13 people found the following review helpful
Format:Kindle Edition
This was a quick read, but what makes a memoir interesting is seeing how a person develops and grows over time--and I got no feeling that Tingle was any more insightful at forty than at fourteen. Most of his life seemed to be a tale of everyone (adults included) drifting around with no goals. Tingle says the military turned him away from the path of crime and drugs he was on, but never explains why or how. The girl of the title is just a girl he sees and never speaks to. I kept waiting for her to be symbolic of something Tingle realized he needed--but no, it seems that the only reason he remembers her all his life is just because she's hot. And remember her he does. At the end of the book, as a married father, he writes to her how he "loved her the instant he saw her" and has never forgotten her. By contrast, the nicest thing he has to say about his wife and mother of his children is just that she looks like this girl--oh, and she packs the kids' lunches and keeps the house clean. This is what I mean by the lack of growth and insight. I'm glad that he got his life on track, but the book didn't give me any indication of how that happened, or if the author himself even knows.
8 of 8 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
The reviews and synopsis of this book make it seem like a really good read. I found this book particularly uninspiring and boring. It was written poorly and didn't really have much of a purpose other than to recount Kenny's childhood. He went on about basic things and there was never anything that shocking or interesting.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
2.0 out of 5 stars
Ok
Unfortunately, this is life for to many families. The ending made the entire book worthwhile. Even so, there was a lot to get through.
Published 10 days ago by Patricia A. Sebris
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Fine Line Between Good and Evil
The title and cover of this memoir drew me in as I, too, grew up in the city just as the author had. I was hooked from the first sentence, "We all have a story to tell. Read more
Published 13 days ago by Jean Jazz
5.0 out of 5 stars
A great read
This book was a great read. I found it to be quite touching and realistic. Check it out for yourself.
Published 17 days ago by Catherine Stoll
1.0 out of 5 stars
Boring
I read about half of this before giving up due to boredom. I get that the author was trying to set the scene of his childhood, but there was no plot development, and only inane... Read more
Published 18 days ago by Cultural Groupie
3.0 out of 5 stars
A Story of a boy's life.
It took forever to get to the girl in the Bakery. It was a misleading title. It could have been a faster read. It is hard to read about a person's unhappy life. Read more
Published 19 days ago by Jeannette Kralemann
5.0 out of 5 stars
Glad I read this book!
I did not know what to expect, but was very pleased with what Mr. Tingle wanted the reader to learn. Read more
Published 22 days ago by Merilee B. Daugherty
5.0 out of 5 stars
One person's truth
It was little hard getting into this book because it seemed a bit trite. And yet it began to ring true, and I began to relate it to my own life story, having grown up in similar... Read more
Published 22 days ago by kandjrey
4.0 out of 5 stars
Good read
Started out slow but was an enjoyable read.
The antics of the main character kept me turning the pages to see how his life would turn out.
The antics of the main character kept me turning the pages to see how his life would turn out.
Published 23 days ago by G. Capello
5.0 out of 5 stars
memories
Being originally from Lawrence, but much older than the writer, I remembered many of the places he talked about. Read more
Published 23 days ago by C. Nussbaum
3.0 out of 5 stars
Name doesn't match story
Another bio from the projects where kid finally gets out and resolves some of his personal stuff. Probably good insight into life in the projects, but the girl in the bakery... Read more
Published 25 days ago by DonD
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More About the Author
Kenneth Tingle is the author of The Girl in the Italian Bakery and Strangeville. He is a former United States Marine. For the past seventeen years he has worked as a registered nurse in many different fields. Most of all, he enjoys spending time with wife Kathy, son Ken, Jr. and daughter Nicole. His books have been read all over the world.
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