Good Bye Rudy Kazoody
Posted: 05 Jun 2017, 20:46
This story starts out with a dream brought on by the consumption of a whole bag of Chips Ahoy cookies with a quart of milk. Joey Printi narrates throughout the story. His family had moved from Italy to Orange, New Jersey and Joey was having a difficult time to readjust to the constant bullying from classmates. The family then moves from Orange, N.J. To the Bronx. This story follows many of us who grew up in the 1960s. Joey shows what growing up in the Bronx was like. Spike has Joey join the Black Knights gang. The only girl allowed to join was Betty Sargent (Megan Elizabeth Sargent) They all went to Theodore Roosevelt High. Cicci’s Pool Hall was like a community center for the gang. The other character that played a major role in the story was Spike. He was a true friend to many of the members of the gang. Back in the 60’s it seemed like everyone had a nickname. I know that we all did as well. Italy after world war II lay in ruins and many of the Italians who came to America during that time came from Southern Italy. I really liked the character of Father Diritto in this story. One of my favorite lines from the story. “The path to the kingdom of God may have several different roads. It’s not important which road a person chooses as long as he’s on one of them.” One of my favorite parts of the story was Spike’s trip to South Carolina. The emotions that the characters experienced through the story could be felt. The author did a great job with having the reader feel what the characters were going through. Most of the neighborhood activity is not all gang related. Coming of age is a story that most teenagers go through. I enjoyed the author’s style and the characters. I have rated this story a solid 5 stars. I look forward to reading more works by AA Freda.
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