Son of Sam Was My Catcher and Other Bronx Tales by Ian Lowell
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Ian Lowell takes me has taken me back to my youth, growing up in New York City in the 50’s and 60’s, in his wonderful memoir “Son of Sam Was My Catcher and Other Bronx Tales”. Although I was in upper Manhattan and he was in the Bronx, many of his recollections blend with mine.
Just a year younger than Mr. Lowell, his music was my music, his sports figures were my sports figures, and his memories of major world events coincide with mine. What a delight it was to once again hear those songs for the first time, recalling the feeling of hot summer city streets. How well I remember the Village and my mother forbidding me to go there. Of course I did. Every weekend at the Fillmore East hearing bands like Santana, Chicago, Dr. John, and Joe Cocker before they were big arena draws.
But this book isn’t just about New York. This is a memoir of the sixties; those passion-filled days of Viet Nam war protests, electric guitars, bell bottom pants, and peace, love, and drugs. If you lived through the sixties you will be swept back to those days from the assassination of President John Kennedy through the Cold War, Civil Rights marches and the Viet Nam war. Lowell captures it all with vibrant prose and vivid memories.
If you want to know what the sixties and seventies were really like, this is the book to read. While it is lengthy it is comprehensive; there are no wasted words. Perhaps one of the best memoirs of the days and times I remember well, I highly recommend this book. It’s a treasure.
Between the Beats 