"Daniel P Quinn has captured a bygone era with such detailed, loving, bittersweet accuracy. Such family memories - and they are rich indeed, considering he hails from two such vibrant, singularly civilized cultures ... Irish- and Italian-American; no fooling around! The old Newark comes alive in his poignant, celebrating words ... as does the glory that was Paterson, NJ, birthplace of American industry ... -- Hey, it/they - still is/are, both these wonderful, bustling, BUSY New Jersey cities! eh, all? in their 20th century heydays ...

Phoenixes now rising from the strong, struggling and WONDERFULLY PERSEVERING "ashes ..."? - Nope; the people of Newark since the "White Flight," post-WWII, are every bit as validly vibrant as those who came before, let's face it, eh? -- It's just a rapidly e'er changing mixture of eras we are so challenged to be negotiating, we Americans and we globally over-populated, fascinating yet always goofy-enough humans ...