IF ANYONE ASKS, SAY I DIED FROM THE HEARTBREAKING BLUES
by Philip Cioffari
This title was previously available on NetGalley and is now archived.
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Pub Date Feb 14 2020 | Archive Date Jan 31 2020
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Description
An eighteen year-old boy’s serio-comic, twenty-four hour journey into manhood.
It’s a big day for Joey Hunter, known in his Bronx neighborhood as Hunt. Not only is it his eighteenth birthday, but it’s the day of his senior prom and his date with the first girl he’s ever been in love with. But things don’t turn out as he expects in his pursuit of the girl of his dreams. With his ten year old, wiser-than-his-years sidekick Augie, and his off-beat and mischievously effervescent high school buddy Johnnie Jay, he negotiates the highs and lows of first love, the vendetta-like antagonism of a gang of toughs, and the haunting memories of his younger brother, for whose death he feels responsible.
A Note From the Publisher
He is professor of English at William Paterson University in New Jersey.
Advance Praise
Selected Praise for the Writing of Philip Cioffari
JESUSVILLE
“a truly fascinating and worthwhile book”—New Jersey Star-Ledger
“The real star here is the haunted, haunting theme park full of crumbling temples, decrepit mangers and mazes of limbless, decapitated saints and Christs—a metaphor for the religious wasteland of the twenty-first century and a complex character in its own right.” —Booklist
A HISTORY OF THINGS LOST OR BROKEN
Winner of the Tartt Fiction Prize and the D.H. Lawrence Award for Fiction
“. . .his writing is exquisitely clear and precise. The uncanny, the off-beat, and the incongruous resonate throughout these stories.”—Southern Humanities Review
“Cioffari’s meticulously crafted stories explode like street-racing muscle cars burning rubber in search of dangerous fun, holy nostalgia, impossible love, and the exchange of dreams across the back roads of America.”—Paterson Literary Review
BRONX KILL
“It’s the brooding atmosphere that truly packs a punch. Readers will gladly lose themselves in this novel’s sense of foreboding.”—Kirkus Reviews
“A gripping novel.”—New Jersey Star Ledger
“An engrossing page-turner.”—Italian Americana
Marketing Plan
This title is for adult readers but will appeal to some readers of YA.
This title is for adult readers but will appeal to some readers of YA.
Available Editions
| EDITION | Hardcover |
| ISBN | 9781604892383 |
| PRICE | $24.95 (USD) |
Featured Reviews
Angela M, Reviewer
3.5 stars
A day in the life, a coming of age story of teenage boy in the Bronx in 1960. Hunt has a lot on his mind, not just the prom and Debbie Ann, the girl he loves, but he thinks every day of the little brother he lost. The prom is a disaster when he finds out that Debby Ann really wants to be with Sal. There are rumors of a gang coming to their neighborhood to fight and that adds to the tension. I couldn’t help but love Hunt, even with all the typical teenage angst that seeps through the pages. He’s serious and he wants to be a writer and a DJ. He’s is a feeling, caring young man, even though very naive and idealistic. There are funny moments, especially if you went to a Catholic school like I did, you’ll be able to relate to his waiting in line at the confessional. It’s poignant at times as his grief is reflected over his little brother, and in his genuine friendship with a homeless man, a former teacher who lost everything because of his drinking. This would be a perfect story for someone who could relate to the time and place, New York in 1960, as I’m sure it would provide a nostalgic journey down memory lane. It wasn’t that for me, but I found in Hunt to be a character to remember. He reminded me a little of Holden Caulfield.
I received an advanced copy of this book from Livingston Press/University of Alabama
Patty P, Reviewer
One night in Hunt’s life, his birthday and night of his senior prom, he’s out for the entire night. The events that unfold in those short hours wrap up what the years leading up to his 18th birthday - his thoughts, fears, regrets, instincts, and dreams - have led him to.
This is a quick read that offers a personal glimpse into the life of a Catholic boy coming of age and facing the realities of life as a man.
Thank you NetGalley and Livingston Press for the advance copy.
