Summary
In this author's study of the dynamics of her own tough-luck, working-class family in 1970s Jersey City, she reveals the character of her childhood community at large- a corrupt government leading a corrupt population, where alcoholism, gambling, and petty theft are the norm.
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"[A] touching memoir....In spite of her riveting stories of crime and scandal, the book's most tender moments unfold when Stapinski explores the naive perceptions of youth...." -- Ann Stephenson
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Bibliographic Details
Publisher: Random House Inc
Published date: 2002
Size: 5.5 x 8 inches
Weight: 0.45 pounds
Publisher's Notes
With deadpan humor and obvious affection, Five-Finger Discount recounts the story of an unforgettable New Jersey family of swindlers, bookies, embezzlers, and mobster-wannabes. In the memoir Mary Karr calls “a page-turner,” Helene Stapinski ingeniously weaves the checkered history of her hometown of Jersey City—a place known for its political corruption and industrial blight—with the tales that have swirled around her relatives for decades. Navigating a childhood of toxic waste and tough love, Stapinski tells an extraordinary tale at once heartbreaking and hysterically funny.
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