After the Falls: Coming of Age in the Sixties

by Catherine Gildiner

The vivid and touching sequel to the bestselling memoir Too Close to the Falls. It's 1960 and twelve-year-old Cathy McClure has just been thrown out of Catholic school for-among other transgressions-filling the holy water fount with vodka. In the hopes of giving Cathy a fresh start away from their small town, the McClures leave behind Niagara Falls and the family pharmacy to start over in suburban Buffalo. But life in a subdivision and a school filled with "pubescent cheddar" holds little appeal for a girl who began working at four and smoking at nine. As the quaint world of 1950s America recedes into history, Cathy dives headfirst into the 1960s. Along the way, she adopts many personas with gusto-vandal, HoJo hostess, FBI suspect, civil rights demonstrator- but when tragedy strikes at home, Cathy must take on her most challenging role yet. As candid and compelling as Mary Karr's The Liars' Club and Jeanette Walls's The Glass Castle, After the Falls is an irresistible account of one girl's comingof-age during a tumultuous era and the moving tale of a rebellious spirit learning what it means to be a daughter.

Genres: Memoir, Nonfiction, Biography, Coming Of Age, Book Club, Biography Memoir, Autobiography

370 pages, Kindle Edition

First published October 6, 2009

About the author

Catherine has written two best selling memoirs. The first is called TOO CLOSE TO THE FALLS and was on the best seller's lists for two years. It is about working full time from the age of four.

Her next memoir AFTER THE FALLS covers her teenage and college years where she got involved in civil rights and was investigated by the FBI.

COMING ASHORE, her final memoir is coming out this fall. It is about her years at Oxford, The U.S. and finally Canada. This book shares the joy of those few years in your twenties after you leave home and before Adult responsibilities crowd in.

She has also written a novel, SEDUCTION, a thriller about Darwin and Freud. It was chosen by DER SPIEGAL as one of the ten best mysteries.

She is a unique writer in that she was a psychologist for many years and only became a writer at the age of 50. Shows anything is possible.

She lives in Toronto with her husband and has three grown sons.

Reviews

[Hannah · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was pretty annoyed with Dr. Gildiner whenever she mentioned her memoir in her otherwise stellar book Good Morning, Monster. It was just inserted in there so many tones that it was tiresome. However, I’m also really glad she did, because I wouldn’t have read this book or the prior one or the next one. Yes, her “memoir” is written in three parts. It really should be referred to as an autobiography.

The first book, Too Close to the Falls, was full of charm and humor, taking us from ages four to thirteen. I was expecting more of the same with this second one. Instead, it was all sadness, some big shocks, and also some inspiration as we watch her grow up through junior high school, high school, and college, ending with her in graduate school. They can be read as standalones, but there are sufficient mentions of a number of events from book one, and around continues to play a prominent role in book two.

To save you from spoilers,I won’t mention any of the big reasons for the sadness, shock, or even inspiration, but suffice it to say there are some very dark triggers. One of them had me unable to reopen the book for a week. Given that was my reaction, the impact on her life and even greater one on the victim’s of really hard for me to imagine. I don’t know how either of them pushed through with their lives. So be prepared for that.

I love Cathy’s spunk, determination, openness, and innate sense of responsibility to her family and the greater world. As unconventional as her parents were, she was clearly well-loved and well-prepared for the challenges and choices she had to make. I especially loved how she always looked to make a difference wherever she was and how she always stood up for her convictions. Even her antiracism work, which wasn’t called that back then and which could easily be seen as white saviorship, is so full of her beautiful energy that it can only be referenced as her higher calling for humanity.

[Alexis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Four and a half stars! I stayed up late reading this book and am paying for it today. Gildiner's book is a memoir dedicated to her time growing up in the 1960s. She has an active, interesting writing style that pulls you into the story, and had many misadventures that are engaging. She is by no means a perfect person, but that's part of the truth in this memoir, which deals with adjusting to life in Buffalo, NY, the civil rights movement, a series of odd jobs, college in Ohio and encounters with a whole of strange Americans who make an impression on her. This book REALLY made me appreciate what it was like to grow up in the US in the 1960s. I highly recommend this if you're into biographies and memoirs and would like to learn more about the time period.

[Tom M. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Catherine Gildiner's first book, "Close to the Falls", was a collection of audacious and funny stories of her childhood in and around the Niagra Falls area of New York state during the 1950s. Gildiner started working full-time in her father's pharmacy at 4 years old, giving her a very different view of the world. Her bossy, tomboyish, rebellious ways contrasted with her Catholic school upbringing (until she was eventually expelled from school after an incident involving substituting alcohol for holy water).

"After the Falls" picks up shortly after "Close to the Falls" leaves off, with Catherine now 13 years old and her family is moving from Niagra Falls to Buffalo, NY. Her parents end up trading their large Victorian home and her father's pharmacy for a small ticky-tacky house and a research job for a pharmaceutical company. Catherine isn't happy with her new life and, truth be told, neither are her parents.

The first parts of "After the Falls" felt a bit awkward, as if Gildiner was trying a bit too hard to find incidents in her life to write about that might compare with her first book. "After the Falls", however, is the story of an older, more mature young girl who is on the process of becoming a young woman in the midst of the political changes of the 1960s. As Gildiner starts a relationship with a young black football player and poet, and her father becomes erratic due to an inoperable brain tumor, her life changes even moreso.

If "Close to the Falls" is a humorous collection of innocent memories, "After the Falls" is a collection of stories about the insights and wisdom gained through the loss of innocence. I'll admit to preferring the funny stories of her first book, but there are incidents in this book that have stayed with me longer.

[Karen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Having been totally smitten with Too Close to the Falls, I have eagerly awaited the follow-up- this does not disappoint! From the unsettling move to Buffalo as a spirited twelve-year old, trying to fit in, to her wild and crazy political activist college years in the sixties, Gildiner takes us on a ride. Her writing is engaging and her stories are captivating; life with her parents is at once strange, funny, painful and yet poignant. When tragedy strikes at home she accepts and rises to the challenge. I loved this memoir and can't stop thinking about it!

[Dayna · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved Catherine Gildiners first portion of her memoir Too Close to the Falls. I was hoping that the 2nd book would be equally as good. This book was a home run. I LOVED it more then the first. This girl has lived one full life and knows how to spin a tale. A really fun read if your grew up in the Buffalo area. To all my friends in book club who read the first book - do pick this up - I read it in two sittings.

[Amanda · Rating 2 out of 5]

Two stars may be a little harsh, but I just gave a few other books 3-star ratings, and I don't think this one was on the same level as those. This is a 'coming of age' autp-biography told from the perspective of someone who grew up near Buffalo, and in a fascinating era (1960s). Gildner has an engaging writing style, and certainly shares some interesting stories.

*SPOILERS BELOW*
My main issues come with what is fair game for someone to write about and publish as their story. I was shocked an appalled by the story of the high school fraternity essentially gang raping her friend's neighbor. Cathy and her friend sat in the closet and watched, and then the victim's name becomes a warning in Cathy's head throughout the rest of the book. Where is the compassion and empathy for this woman? It doesn't sound like she ever approached or tried to help her. Even if Gildiner changed her name when writing about it-- there's no doubt this woman and her family would read the book and be forced to relive the story and to have others now know it and guess at her identity. If Gildiner got consent to use the story, I think that should've been in an author's note. It seems like Gildiner felt badly for her, but also simultaneously viewed her as deluded (Gildiner asks questions like "did she think he would be her boyfriend? Did she think this was going to help her?") This trauma was not Gildiner's to exploit and benefit from by writing about.

Likewise, throughout the book Gildiner frames herself as a bit mischievious, but always clear-headed and never crossing the line-- calling her dad when her friends got too drunk to drive (framing her friend's accident where she became paraplegic as a shared fault between the friend and the friend's father...; painting the lawn ornaments white, but quickly leaving when it got out of hand; being there when her friend Bev took drugs that would permanently destroy her brain, but being too smart to take them herself, etc). This self-righteousness while throwing her friends and acquaintances under the bus was off-putting to me.

The dialogue about race was also interesting to me. It appears Cathy is an ally, but her story is ultimately one of white privilege. She got involved when it interested her, and then left the cause as soon as she no longer had a black boyfriend. And then she complains that no one came to check up on her or thank her for her efforts. Kudos to her for her involvement, but her willingness to walk away from the cause, not just her relationship, was startling to me.

Her parents were really interesting. Her father was my favorite character. And her mother was really an enigma. It felt like half the time Gildiner was accusing her of doing nothing all day, and then would later call her her best friend and implying she did a lot to keep the family going. I enjoyed reading about how her mom reacted to the police coming by-- letting Cathy dig herself in or out of the situation all on her own.

[Aban (Aby) · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a delightful book! I loved Catherine Gildiner's earlier memoir, and found this equally good.

"After the Falls" continues the story of Cathy McClure. At the age of 12 years, Cathy's family moves from the rural environs of Lewiston to the urban setting of Buffalo. There she has to adjust to her family being small fish in a large pond, and she has to fight to get in with the "in crowd" at school. (She does this by driving her father's car and by smoking!) The memoir takes us through Cathy's high school years and into college. It's there that she discovers the joy of intellectual endeavour, and starts to realize her ability.

The memoir also covers Cathy's first love. She found her soul mate in a young black poet/student, and joined him in promoting the Civil Right's Movement of the 60's. I loved her account of her relationship with Laurie Coal and, having been at university in the 60's myself, I thoroughly enjoyed reading about the politics and the music of that era.

Perhaps, best of all, is Cathy's account of her relationship with her parents. This part of her memoire is deeply moving.

[Girls Gone Reading · Rating 4 out of 5]

I didn’t grow up in the 60s. Truthfully, I wasn’t even born then. But Catherine Gildiner’s book, After the Falls, is so fun, so interesting that I now have a better understanding of an important American decade that I completely missed.

The summary of the memoir will tell you about Catherine’s exploits, her part in the civil rights movement, her run in with the FBI. I loved that stuff, but it wasn’t what made her book so interesting. What ulitmately made After the Falls so great was Catherine’s voice and the voice of her parents. I loved their relationship, and I loved how she showed teenage angst that was relatable, true, and touching. Catherine’s parents were beautiful people-giving their daughter all the space she needed while providing a safe home in the midst of a country in turmoil.

After the Falls was not what I expected. It was better, and Catherine Gildiner is a writer that made working at a donut shop more exciting than a fast action car chase. Grab a copy of After the Falls if you want to learn or revisit the 60s. You won’t regret it.

[Kim Miller-Davis · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is funny, smart, and heartwarming--everything a memoir should be. I had never heard of Gildiner before, nor have I read her first memoir. I just picked this up at a used bookstore because I thought a memoir placed in the 1960s sounded interesting (plus it takes place in Buffalo, NY, where one of my good friends lives, so I felt an odd tenuous connection to the material.) Once I started reading it, I became completely engrossed, reading until the wee hours of the night and picking it back up early the next morning, so I could get read a little more before leaving for work. Later in the afternoon, when I realized I only had 20 pages until the end, I stopped reading just long enough to get online and order her 2014 follow-up memoir. I already knew that I needed the anticipation of the next volume to help balance the assured disappointment I was going to feel once finished. Gildiner possesses a rare ability to tell a series of good stories filled with details and humor, wraps them together with poignant take-aways, and still manages to leave her audience wanting more.

[Denise · Rating 4 out of 5]

For me, reading a sequel to a book I truly enjoyed is always risky. Will it be as good? Well, in this case, Catherine Gildiner's book After The Falls is another page turner. I laughed, I cried as the author takes us through her high school and college years. Gildiner writes about adjusting to the family moving to Buffalo, her part time jobs, the civil rights movement, Vietnam war, college in Ohio and her parents and friends. This is a wonderful, entertaining memoir.

"You can learn from anyone, if you ask the right questions."
"When you tyrannize people you only have their labour - you never have their locality."
"You best be thinkin' about tomorrow, not yesterday." (Roy)

[Fiona · Rating 2 out of 5]

OMG I can't believe she wrote a follow up to Too Close to the Falls and I didn't know about it. One of the best autobiographies I read over the last few years, can't wait to get hold of this.

[Robyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 rounding down. I just love Catherine Gildiner's memoirs. She has had an incredibly interesting life, and writes about it so well. As someone put in another review, she's like a real-life Forrest Gump - crossed paths with so many famous (and infamous) people, and has been in the thick of so many important historical events. I'm sad that I only have one book left. Her mom was such an unconventional badass in such an unassuming way.

This one was edited much better than Too Close to the Falls and didn't have any of the strange unfinished feel that the first few chapters of that one had. (After reading the acknowledgements, I realized the copy editor is the aunt of one of my high school friends - small world!) The writing is really strong and flows well. The story is chronological and there is a good amount of reflection and growth. Gildiner is such a strong memoirist.

This is a mild spoiler, but I will mention it because it's one thing about the book that kind of left a bad taste and may also be something that certain readers want to be prepared for. At age 12 Cathy essentially witnesses a gang rape and decides not to become "that kind of girl". It colours her (lack of) dating life for the rest of the book but she never really acknowledges the event for what it was. I get though that this book was written over a decade ago and the conversation about consent has changed a lot in recent years. Anyway just something to be aware of.

I wish I had a copy of the first book with me because I felt like there was some confusing age overlap in a couple of events described in the first book and the second. I'm assuming maybe she recalled something one way when writing the first one, or didn't expect to write a second one, so took a couple liberties and remembered it happening at a certain age to make the story flow. Not that big a deal but my brain just sort of likes to know the correct order of events.

That said, if you are a fan of memoirs, I really think you need Catherine Gildiner in your life! My whole book club is obsessed.

[Emma Moynan · Rating 5 out of 5]

In this coming of age in the sixties memoir “After the falls” Catherine Gildiner, shows her inside point of view of the decades civil rights movements. In “After the falls”, Catherine writes about her move from small town Lewston to the suburbs of Buffalo at the age of 12, up until she is in her 20’s. Gildiner wrote her story with witty humour that kept you engaged every page. Even if you didn’t grow up in the sixties, you are still able to relate to the teenage years antics of wanting to fit in, to making bad mistakes and of course getting into friends, family and boy drama. Gildiner wrote this book with so much passion, she had been part of organizations for the civil rights movements and put her heart and soul into organizing protests. She was truly an intelligent woman, leader and visionary. I personally think Gildiner wrote a beautiful moving memoir that you can relate to and feel like you have a more inside knowledge of what some of the civil rights movements and protests were really like. Cathay wrote simplicity that you can follow along to, witty humor to laugh and relate too. “After the falls” suggested potential audience would be for anyone who is in their teen years and someone who is interested in life in the sixties. Overall I really enjoyed Catherine Gildiner “After the falls” memoir and I can't wait to read her other memoirs.

[Cassandra · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this book for my local book club. I had mixed feelings about it. There are definitely trigger warnings (death of a loved one, rape, alcohol/drugs/smoking, racism, etc.) I questioned how much of her life may have been embellished or not exactly accurately remembered. However, the shock factor was there of some of the stuff that she went through, as well as it was well-written and kept you hooked. My least favourite was the part about Veronica as it almost made me DNF the book. However, I pushed through and found the read to be quite fascinating of all that she witnessed and experienced and decisions she made. I plan to read the first book too, as we didn’t realize that this was her second book of her life story and continues where the first left off. I am curious about her younger years.

[Linda Sims · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had really enjoyed Catherine Gildiner's first memoir, "Too Close To The Falls" and this followup was delightful as well. They are funny and poignant books about a high-energy, complicated, one-of-a-kind kid coming of age.

[Jane Campbell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Memoirs are an interesting challenge and in this book, Gildiner admits that these are her memories of her move into adolescence and adulthood. I really liked the way she captured the 50's and the 60's and her writing to understand her feelings and experiences. Poignant and very human.

[Colleenallender · Rating 4 out of 5]

A really fun read and amazing story.

[Kathy Stevenson · Rating 5 out of 5]

After reading Gildiner's first memoir "Too Close to the Falls" I was curious to read this sequel.

This book was everything I expected and more. Gildiner states in the acknowledgements section that her story is accurate according to her recollections, yet there are some incredible experiences that make the reader wonder if the scenes have been embellished at all. Starting in the early 1960's, we find that Cathy and her parents have had to move from their idyllic small town life to Buffalo, probably because of her own reputation-ruining misadventures. The house is miniscule in comparison to their ancestral home back in Lewiston, NY and twelve-year-old Cathy pulls out all the stops to play the role of resentful daughter to perfection. Her can-do attitude and determination allow her to make friends and fit in with the most important (in her opinion) group of kids at the high school, but her academic achievements take a dive.

We know that this book of her memoirs will take us through her teenaged years and cover the 1960's, so some key events and how they affected her are no surprise. However, there are a couple of historic events that she was able to witness in person which readers may find surprising.

In her retelling of her teenaged years, we see the worst of the author, and we also see the things that motivated her to do well. There is heartache here, and some tough decisions which all help us to understand her unique attitude and her ultimate choice to become a psychologist.

[Liz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved, loved, loved! "After the Falls" is the second of three books by Cathy Gildiner in which she recounts events in her life during her teenage and college years. What a life she has had! Gildiner must have a photographic memory as she describes scenes from her life in such detail that the reader feels like they were there too! Gildiner's writing can be quite serious and sensitive as when she recalls a gang rape scene that she witnessed as a twelve-year-old girl. Her description of setting her Oxford roommate and friend up with Jimi Hendrix reveals her comedic side. Gildiner lived through the same life-changing moments that most, if not all, baby boomers will remember - Kent State, the civil rights movement, the Vietnam war, women's lib, the assassinations of the Kennedy brothers and Martin Luther King and so on. Reading this book is like taking a walk down memory lane and that is why I liked it so much.

[Joan Fox Peppe · Rating 2 out of 5]

Hugely Disappointing. Very little humor and even more unbelievable situations than in the first part of her memoir, “Too Close to the Falls”. Name dropping (Angela Davis; Stokley Carmichael) of people she met and situations with the FBI that felt contrived. Author claims she attended Trinity College, Oxford in 1968. Wikipedia states Trinity didn’t accept women until 1979. Facts related to dates of her father’s death & the passing of another sibling have been researched by a reporter from the Buffalo News and proved inaccurate or non-existent. This work should be considered fiction, not a memoir but then, it probably would not have gained all the interest & readers.

[Dr Phyllis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Coming-of-age in 1960s in upstate New York, Cathy's a born rebel. Thrown out of Catholic school and the family facing economic ruin after her father's business failure, Cathy and her family move to Buffalo. Cathy had started working at 4, sidekick to her father's pharmacy delivery driver, smoking at 9 so she embarks on working life in a dodgy donut dive and, you guessed it, gets into scrapes.
Never a dull moment as Cathy battles with her Dad, questions her mother's compliance and remains throughout the rebellious ringleader, coming into service when tragedy strikes at home.
Entertaining, insightful and with the message: dare to be different and 'Illegitimi non carborundum'!

[Manda · Rating 2 out of 5]

I think this could have been a very compelling work of fiction, because she was an interesting character but there is no way all of these things happened. Basic fact checking would show it she would have been in school when LHO was shot and therefore unable to be at the cafe. Very convenient that ‘Laurie’ is untraceable and no evidence of his life appears online, in school records, etc., even though he was such a great football player that police officers would stop and engage in conversation with him about the game. So I have to just ask myself, why? Why did she embellish and market this as a memoir and not a work of fiction? I don’t doubt that some of the info was accurate.

[Kristen Otankis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brought me to tears at the end. Started with her novel “Good Morning Monster”- tales from her years of being a psychologist and dealing with people’s traumas- which was very intriguing. in that novel, she mentions her previous books several times and it got me really interested in reading about her background and growing up as a child. I started with after the falls and now I have to go back in reverse and read too close to the falls. She’s a very talented writer and I really enjoyed learning about her.

[Jane Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

Catherine Gildiner's life and family are in many ways extraordinary, and this makes for fascinating reading. But her struggles as an adolescent and young woman are stories that any adult can relate to. She writes with such wit and wisdom that I found it hard to put the book down. I loved the first volume of her memoirs, 'Too close to the falls', and I think I loved this one even more. I can't wait to read the final instalment.

[Jemma · Rating 5 out of 5]

Basically the way I felt about this book was that it was highly entertaining; I learnt a lot about myself by reading her memoir and laughed out loud so many times! Was almost moved to tears. I love seeing her development; I felt a deep tenderness towards her and am curious about what her next and final book will be like given she became a clinical psychologist and later author. Highly recommend her writing!

[Lyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a sequel to the author's first book "The Falls". While The Falls had me laughing out loud at many of the situations and experiences the author describes, "After the Falls", though not as funny is still a great book and I enjoyed it very much. It follows the author through her teen years and is a wonderful recollection of her life in the '60s.

[Maggie BB · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gildiner is an excellent story teller. It is fascinating to get a glimpse into what it was like growing up during the 60s, with huge personal changes occurring during that time when a lot was changing in the world as well.

Read this because of book club, but am intrigued now to read her first memoir as she references some earlier events several times.

[Marcia Frazier · Rating 5 out of 5]

Catherine Gildner. I love the way she writes. She’s about my age and we share memories of working young, surviving Vietnam, the 60’s, the Black Power Movement, and good parents who loved us muchly.
I love How she writes and this is an interesting story of life, learning how to be as we grow, supporting one parent as one dies.
I loved it.

[Mary · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beautiful descriptions and wonderful content that, as a child of the sixties myself, I easily related to. Her memoir of her earlier years was not available when I wanted it so I started with this which easily stands on its own. I hope to read more of her work in the future.

[Betty Zyvatkauskas · Rating 5 out of 5]

This engaging coming-of-age account reads like a work of fiction, touching on the emblematic events of the 1960s including the Viet Nam war and the civil rights movement, but it always stay deeply personal and fresh.