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The Rail: What Was Really Doin' In The 60's Bronx!

Tommy Donovan

"Tommy Donovan, the 'bastard son of an immigrant Irishman" writes powerfully about his inovlement with gangs, sex, heroin addiction, and his inspiring struggle to heal the wounds of a painful childhood. It's an engrossing journey from youth to manhood, from West Side Story to Bob Dylan." -- Eve Pell, Award-winning investigative reporter

About the Book:

Tommy Donovan’s coming-of-age memoir depicts the struggles of the son of an Irish immigrant growing up in an all-Jewish neighborhood in the Bronx, between the end of World War 2 and the emergence of the turbulent 1960s. At home, Tommy wrestles with family dysfunction, while in the streets he must navigate a world where being a goy (gentile) confers a hurtful, outsider status on him. Eventually, young Tommy’s life hangs in the balance as he struggles to not surrender to the pull of drug addiction while fighting to break free and flee the Bronx for good. Tommy’s confrontation with these formidable obstacles, on his journey to manhood, takes place center stage at “The Rail,” where Tommy’s allies and nemeses meet daily.

Credit Tommy Donovan
Tommy Donovan

About the Author:

Tommy Donovan grew up near the Amalgamated Cooperative Housing, in the Van Cortlandt Park area of the Bronx. Coming-of-age during the turbulent and questioning 1960s helped shape his spirit of inquiry and critical thinking. He currently lives in Big Timber, Montana, with his life-partner, Dr. Kim C. Colvin. Tommy holds a doctorate in psychology from Pacifica Graduate Institute, and is a Faculty Fellow in the Honors College at Montana State University. 

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