Growing up in Brooklyn in the late 1940’s.
About “A Place Called Brooklyn”
Growing up in the 1940s and 50s in a place called Brooklyn, the center of my universe was located deep in the section called Red Hook. At Smith-9th, the old IND Subway is grandly elevated as the highest elevated station in both Brooklyn and the city, conforming to old regulations that allowed tall-mast ships to navigate the Gowanus Canal. The metal trestles and pillars were constructed in concrete. Like that grand station, so are my memories cast in a concrete. I have a never-dying remembrance of what life was like once upon a time.
These stories are not meant to chronicle the suffering that a generation endured, but to document some the experiences growing up on the streets of the densely populated Brooklyn streets. Their ingenuity bested boredom through street games and spontaneous adventures.
Games like tag, buck/buck, hide & go seek, one and over, ring-a-leave-e-o, and others that did not require a ball, rope, skates, bat, baseball cards, marbles, straws etc. And, we can add to this mix various adventure games that involved fireworks, chalk, balloons, lumber, sticks, yo-yos, straws, also discarded items (Skates, Gallon Glass Jars, Cans, Carriages, etc.) That could be recycled into a game. These stories feature ‘Pepino’ a nine year old Italian kid, who lives with his mother, father and teenage sister in the Red Hook neighborhood of Brooklyn during the summer following World War II, and are told through his eyes.
Now available for purchase
Gallery
Kids Play On The Monkey Bars In Coffey Park in Red Hook Brooklyn.
Chapter 24 …. West 9th Street is the highest Subway Station in New York City. What a View from the top…
Chapter 42….A Chess Game Was A Universal Sport For The Young And Old To Play Together.
Chapter 47….The Smart Alecks rush to the front of the class. So the teacher will call on them. Not me, I do my best to get a seat in the back of the classroom
Chapter 41… Joan’s Dad set up her Bike so it would sound like a Motor Bike.
Meet The Authors
Frank Cornacchiulo
process helped us acquire life-long experiences still in use to this day. Experiences that were, in retrospect, those experiences that helped us to make important decisions throughout our adult life.
To my wife Frances Claire: for her support and unconditional love, throughout this endeavor. My Mother Francesca, my Father Francesco, and my sister Isabella, who instilled in me love of family and that family always comes first.
I also dedicate this book to my loving family. The Cornacchiulos’: Frank & Lydia, Patrick & Tammy, Daniel & Grace & grandchildren, Patrick, Nicholas, Chloe, Frank, Alexander, Sara, Laila & Alana, Who I encourage to always embrace our family traditions..
-Frank
Joseph Del Broccolo
(Lena and Tony) who always made sure I was never as wonderful as I thought I was, my son Anthony who encouraged me to write and who has worked all his life to better his life and those around him, to my son Mike who by his actions defines humanity at its peak, and my departed son Joseph who like his sister teaches me that life goes on and we put one foot in front of the other.
My grandmother Frances, who as a young girl came to America with no English and a brave heart, enduring and never wavering when someone needed help. And most of all to by beautiful daughter-in-law Courtney, Anthony’s late wife who gave me the two most beautiful grandchildren; Darby Shea and Robert Courtney and last but not least, my partner Frank who has made this endeavor one of joy and pleasure.
-Joe
We were compelled to document our Brooklyn childhood experiences for our fellow Brooklynites. It doesn’t matter where you’re from because we are all cut from the same cloth. Perhaps the adventures and games we played in the streets had different names but it yielded the same memories.
A special salute: to Michele DePalo who introduced us and helped forge a great friendship in collaboration in the joy of this special project
