Download Not for Nothing Glimpses into a Jersey Girlhood VIA Folios Kathy Curto 9781599541297 Books

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Product details Series VIA Folios (Book 134) Paperback 184 pages Publisher Bordighera Press (December 11, 2018) Language English ISBN-10 1599541297

Not for Nothing Glimpses into a Jersey Girlhood VIA Folios Kathy Curto 9781599541297 Books Reviews

• If that elusive thing called voice is what makes a writer who she is, Kathy Curto’s voice shines through from the very first pages of her vivid, heartfelt, episodic memoir. “In my house,” she writes, “the questions were asked but answers forbidden. I learned the art of keeping my trap shut.” The vignettes that comprise this Jersey girl’s formative years resonate with the kind of acute observation and attention to detail honed from all that keeping quiet as she tries to make sense of her immediate world. What starts out with a certain charm of innocence evolves into a place of coming to grips with an often volatile family life and, ultimately, becoming the writer she was clearly destined to be.
• Kathy Curto's witty and creative writing style did more than transport me back to my childhood days, especially growing up in this area during this period (1970's/80's). It told a story of family, secrets, strength, togetherness, friendship, jersey shore life, coming of age, neighborhood games (much of which you don't see anymore in a wired society), cultural adjustments, stores that were popular in the Toms River area at the time, dealing with addictions, abuse.... and most of all becoming stronger through trust, patience, togetherness and love. All of this stitched together so beautifully, in a way that not too many authors could achieve. Once you start reading, you will find this book very hard to put down. Very well done, Kathy!
• Good things seem to happen around the around the holidays. And this year with the release of
  Kathy Curto’s “Not for Nothing” we have a reason to celebrate. Although one famous Down
  Neck resident (or former resident depending on how you interpret the ending of season six),
  Tony Soprano, might refer to the book as a “Joisey thing,” or more narrowly as, “an Italian
  Joisey thing,” there are universal themes such as family and connection that run throughout the
  book. What I enjoyed most was the strong use of sensory details scattered among the pages, “the
  curious enticing aromas Charlie, Wind Song and, if she’d been cooking all day, garlic.” or “I
  smell him. Gasoline. Canoe. Grease. He is all those smells mixed together plus the smell of thick
  green oil…” a description of Kathy’s father who owns a gas station. Once you start reading “Not
  for Nothing, a blend of deadpan humor and obvious affection for her family, you won’t be able
  to put it down. Highly recommended!
• By turns sweet, shocking and funny, "Not For Nothing" is beautifully observed and beautifully written. The sense details in this coming-of-age memoir are marvelous--we taste the grape soda of the author's first kiss, we smell the gasoline and grease of the gas station run by her Dad, who is himself one tough customer. But the real punch of the book is emotional--the wild mood swings in this noisy Italian household take us from tender maternal moments to fierce challenges by her father and the heartbreak of her brother's terrible choices. All the while, our heart opens to the struggles and pleasures of this smart, shy, growing girl. Curto's book is the real deal. Highly recommended.
• The author’s passion for storytelling immediately engages the reader, drawing them into this poignant memoir. Each compelling family memory is richly described, taking the reader along the author’s rocky journey through her childhood in New Jersey. Simultaneously heart-breaking and heart-warming, this witty memoir is an honest peek into the author’s loving, yet fractured family. Anyone growing up during the 70’s and 80’s might well enjoy this richly drawn memoir.
• This is a memoir about growing up in New Jersey in an on again, off again family. Curto tells the story through the eyes of a child, and we as readers get to fill in the gaps about what's happening. It calls to mind The Boy in the Striped Pajamas in this way. I don't know how she is able to call up so many specifics about the hair and the food and the decor of the time. But I found myself right there, sitting in the lap of her childhood and rooting for her all the way. Loved it.
• Flannery Connor said, "Anybody who has survived his childhood has enough information about life to last him the rest of his days." In this case Kathy Curto has written an original and refreshing coming-of-age story of her days, growing up in New Jersey. I was immediately taken in by the strength and wit of the narrator who takes us into her wild and delightful family in a wonderfully originally voice.
• I'm not Italian, and not from Jersey, but still devoured this little memoir filled with big fat juicy essays about growing up in a family filled with conflict and compassion. Curto's memories are American memories, and you'll be fed with her delicious stories of music and wonder, always teetering on the dangerous edge of not fully understanding what's happening in the world around her, while trying her best to grow up in spite of it. And because of it. Read slowly cuz you'll be sad when it's over.