Brooklyn NY: A Grim Retrospective: A Memoir by Jerry CastaldoMy rating: 5 of 5 stars
In Jerry Castaldo's memoir, Brooklyn NY: A Grim Retrospective, we are taken through the years of his youth and young adulthood. Filled with crime, dealings with gangs and the mob, and forays into heavy drug and alcohol use, you wonder how Castaldo come out of it alive. He very nearly didn't--several times.
Each chapter, complete with the year and number one song of that year, chronicles his meager start, growing up with a single mom, brother and absentee father. His mentors, like "Uncle Tony" introduced him to the life of crime which earned him a nickname of "Jerry the Hammer." A high school dropout, Castaldo made it through life the way those around him did--stealing, selling drugs, taking odd jobs.
This, no doubt, earns the book the "Grim" moniker, and yet, something inside Castaldo urged him to become better, to do better, and to find a way to become a performer no matter what it took.
"Hope is my favorite word. It's all encompassing and it's the one that I always held onto despite my multitude of failures; there was still hope for me."~~Jerry Castaldo, age 22.
This is the feeling I had while reading A Grim Retrospective--hope. While I would read of Castaldo's failures with a heavy heart, I wanted to reach through the pages and tell him, don't give up, keep trying, never lose hope.
Overall, this was a fascinating, albeit dark memoir of a person not at all different from any of us. How many people, given these situations, would still be in one piece, or even alive? For this, Jerry Castaldo has my respect. I didn't see him as a criminal, or drug addict--but a human being, a decent one, who got in a bad place with very few resources to give him a life preserver to cling to.
I especially enjoyed the way the book is presented--putting the year and #1 song really brought a connection, even with 11 years in age difference. In addition, I feel as though I am sitting with Castaldo, while he casually tells the stories of his life. This conversational, personal feel truly draws you into caring about him, cheering him on.
While parts of the book seem a bit less fleshed-out, I attribute that to his introduction, and his promise that unlike some recent memoirs that were found to be false, his is true and "what is allowed by law to be published without me being prosecuted." If that doesn't give you shivers, you're a tougher reader than I.
This would make a fantastic movie if done right; until then, get a hold of this book and find out just how much hope can make a difference in a life.
*Note--A copy of this book was sent to me for this review. Disclosure provided per FTC guidelines. My review is my honest, unbiased opinion.*
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