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Editorial Reviews
From Publishers Weekly
Starred Review. In All Souls, MacDonald told the heartbreaking story of the tragic deaths of four of his siblings and his family's suffering amidst a culture of silence in Southie, Boston's tough Irish ghetto. He also introduced the enduring character of his accordian-playing, fist-fighting "Ma," who raised her massive family on her own. MacDonald's second memoir continues the saga with the author turning his gaze upon himself in hope of explaining how he escaped where his brethren succumbed. It quickly becomes apparent that his survival has much to do with his perpetual status as the exile. He's the "quiet one" in his big Irish-Catholic family, the poor kid at Boston Latin High School. When his friends branch into drugs and alcohol, MacDonald remains sober, seeking refuge and a renewed sense of self in Boston's burgeoning early '80s punk rock scene, where he encounters such seminal figures as the Clash and Johnny Rotten. As the odd man out looking for a place to fit in, MacDonald journeys further and further away from Southie—first to downtown Boston, then to New York's Lower East Side—and the dangerous neighborhood rites that spelled doom for his family members. The book takes on a different tone as MacDonald heads to Europe after going to the Southie funeral of his father, a man he never knew. On different occasions—once with Ma—he finds his way to Ireland, his ancestral homeland, "to understand more about Southie, and Irish America in general." Even though MacDonald is far from the first Irish-American to discover the auld sod, he continues to courageously break Southie's silence in this tale of a journey that is as inspiring as it is haunting. (Sept.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
From Booklist
Seven years after All Souls (1999), a memoir of growing up in the poor Irish neighborhood of South Boston (or Southie), MacDonald returns with, well, a memoir of growing up in the poor Irish neighborhood of Southie. Whereas the first documented his family's tragic arc amid rampant crime, poverty, and racism, the focus in his second shifts to the author himself. As a teenager in the late 1970s, he discovered and immediately identified with the brash punk-rock scene being fashioned in tiny record stores and clubs. MacDonald deftly captures the thrilling and surprising initial relevance of the underground culture, shrugging off the more juvenile aspects that would soon pervade its aesthetic. After four of his siblings suffered horrific deaths, though, MacDonald eased away from the increasingly escapist punk lifestyle and in a revelatory trip to Ireland learned to embrace his heritage and connect with his community, rather than flee from it. Perhaps too wary of repeating himself, MacDonald often leaves gaping holes in this account. Still, his tale is powerful enough to drive readers back to his initial offering to stopper them. Ian Chipman
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
See all Editorial Reviews
Starred Review. In All Souls, MacDonald told the heartbreaking story of the tragic deaths of four of his siblings and his family's suffering amidst a culture of silence in Southie, Boston's tough Irish ghetto. He also introduced the enduring character of his accordian-playing, fist-fighting "Ma," who raised her massive family on her own. MacDonald's second memoir continues the saga with the author turning his gaze upon himself in hope of explaining how he escaped where his brethren succumbed. It quickly becomes apparent that his survival has much to do with his perpetual status as the exile. He's the "quiet one" in his big Irish-Catholic family, the poor kid at Boston Latin High School. When his friends branch into drugs and alcohol, MacDonald remains sober, seeking refuge and a renewed sense of self in Boston's burgeoning early '80s punk rock scene, where he encounters such seminal figures as the Clash and Johnny Rotten. As the odd man out looking for a place to fit in, MacDonald journeys further and further away from Southie—first to downtown Boston, then to New York's Lower East Side—and the dangerous neighborhood rites that spelled doom for his family members. The book takes on a different tone as MacDonald heads to Europe after going to the Southie funeral of his father, a man he never knew. On different occasions—once with Ma—he finds his way to Ireland, his ancestral homeland, "to understand more about Southie, and Irish America in general." Even though MacDonald is far from the first Irish-American to discover the auld sod, he continues to courageously break Southie's silence in this tale of a journey that is as inspiring as it is haunting. (Sept.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
From Booklist
Seven years after All Souls (1999), a memoir of growing up in the poor Irish neighborhood of South Boston (or Southie), MacDonald returns with, well, a memoir of growing up in the poor Irish neighborhood of Southie. Whereas the first documented his family's tragic arc amid rampant crime, poverty, and racism, the focus in his second shifts to the author himself. As a teenager in the late 1970s, he discovered and immediately identified with the brash punk-rock scene being fashioned in tiny record stores and clubs. MacDonald deftly captures the thrilling and surprising initial relevance of the underground culture, shrugging off the more juvenile aspects that would soon pervade its aesthetic. After four of his siblings suffered horrific deaths, though, MacDonald eased away from the increasingly escapist punk lifestyle and in a revelatory trip to Ireland learned to embrace his heritage and connect with his community, rather than flee from it. Perhaps too wary of repeating himself, MacDonald often leaves gaping holes in this account. Still, his tale is powerful enough to drive readers back to his initial offering to stopper them. Ian Chipman
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
See all Editorial Reviews
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