Concrete Dreamland: Coming of Age in Underground New York

by Patrick Dougher

An award-winning artist who was featured in Humans of New York, conveys his life experience in a bold collection of essays addressing family trauma, addiction, poverty—and how a passion to create art moved him beyond his struggles.   Born in Brooklyn, New York in 1963, Patrick grew up in the midst of some of the most turbulent and culturally impactful periods of NYC's history. Often neglected as a child by his parents—a father who struggled with alcohol addiction and an overworked mother who struggled to make ends meet—he learned to fend for himself. Now a renowned visual artist, musician, actor and writer, Dougher brings to the page his memories, his struggles, personal revelations, and a life intimately tied to the realities of growing up Black and disenfranchised on the streets of one of the most remarkable cities in the world.  If by Some Impossible Miracle is tragic and triumphant, gritty and hard, poetic and outrageously funny. Told in Dougher's brutally raw and courageously honest voice, these stories act as snapshots of a life lived in extremes; from gangsters to God, street style to sexuality, fights and broken bones, to recovery from drug addiction and alcoholism. He tells of his adventures as a pre-hip hop “hard rock' and an original Black punk rocker surviving during the dangerous days of the crack and AIDS epidemic in NYC, while also sharing tales of racism, homelessness, and his many brushes with fame and death.   Audacious, unique, and sometimes surprising, If by Some Impossible Miracle is an unmatched collection offering stories from a life filled with laughter and tears that came together to create an artist.  

Genres: Nonfiction, Memoir, Biography, History

352 pages, Hardcover

First published July 16, 2024

Reviews

[Kathy · Rating 4 out of 5]

what a yrip

[Bill · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm not much for reviews but this was a great read! Glad you got sober Patrick! I have 36 years sobriety, one day at a time!

[Jason · Rating 5 out of 5]

1970s-1980s New York City kind of has a mythical status in my head, especially as a Hip Hop head, since that’s the environment that birthed a lot of the biggest cultural movements of the late 20th century (add punk). So I loved reading about someone who was around (and OUTSIDE) during that time.

I thought the vignette style worked really well, because it allowed him to structure it by people he knew, stories, lessons, etc. rather than trying to get those thoughts across in a strictly linear, chronological fashion. (There were a few times where you had to re-ground yourself to figure at what age a chapter was actually taking place, though, because he would make minor jumps back and forth in time.)

The only thing I might complain about is a couple of the stories had what I felt were extraneous asides and didn’t add much. Like either they felt partially fabricated or just like an excuse to say “did y’all know I met/played music with/smoked with [famous celebrity X] too?” But that’s a minor complaint. I’d rather a memoir be suspiciously interesting over the opposite.

But overall a great book. I appreciated hearing his insights and stories, both about addiction and life in general.

4.5/5

[Sophia · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a great read! I always loved a birth to present (and/or death) biography structure however I think this is the first one where I prefer different snippets of life structure. It was incredibly interesting to read about NYC before my time. Patrick Dougher’s recovery from addiction and homelessness was inspiring; this shows that everyone has a story and a reason for their predicament and to not judge because you don’t know what’s going on or what someone has been through. I must admit, I didn’t know who Patrick Dougher was before this, but I’m glad Netgalley allowed me the opportunity to read it. He sounds like a phenomenal person, especially staying so kind and through everything.

[Chanda Ruminer · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a fantastic memoir written by someone that essentially has lived 9 lives, all of them in a weirdly spectacular way with his current life lived to humbly serve others. To read this from the perspective of someone that has lived with and loved an addict, some of it reads familiar but also with a bit of understanding from his perspective as the addict knees deep in his addiction.

[Rachel · Rating 4 out of 5]

His storytelling was amazing - each chapter was described so captivatingly, and in such detail, that I felt like I was experiencing them myself! Also thought he did an incredible job describing the powerful role addiction played in his life. I will say a few of the stories had a quixotic element to them that made it a little hard to believe but it was still a really enjoyable read.

[Omari · Rating 4 out of 5]

It reads like someone punching you the chest and then tickling you but what illustrative look at what being on that baby boom Gen X cusp must’ve been like interacting with NYC sub culture through 70s-90s. Wild stories

[Bard Hovenga · Rating 5 out of 5]

So, so good.

[Brittany Serbin · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5

[Shanty · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book made my jaw drop a couple of times! really good book!