This collection of fourteen fictional short stories and two memoirs spans the time period from America's frontier days to the 21st century. All are set, at least in part, in the small neighborhood of Point Breeze, in the East End of Pittsburgh.
Baptism of Desire follows an Irish settler family in the 1700s caught in the struggle between the British, French, and native people for western Pennsylvania. They ultimately settle in what is now Point Breeze. Subsequent stories unfold during the disastrous 1877 railroad strike, the violent Prohibition era, and the Vietnam War. But most of the stories occur in the 1950 Baby Boom, when the author grew up in the neighborhood.
Many colorful characters populate these pages, but the real star is the neighborhood itself. Anyone who has ever lived or “loafed” in Point Breeze in the latter half of the twentieth century can relate well to these stories, but they are for all readers. The rich history of the past morphs into the raucous kid-crowded mid-twentieth century and beyond. Tears of grief, joy, and nostalgia drip from the pages.
The collection concludes with two tender, poignant, and funny “coming of age” memoirs. It is the author's hymn to his home, his history, his people.
An Introduction entitled “Memories Are a Breeze” describes the neighborhood's history and literary legacy, as well as the author's memories as he walks the neighborhood.
