Across the Street Around the Corner...a Road Home

by Mary Lea Carroll

196 pages, Hardcover

Published September 10, 2024

About the author

Mary Lea Carroll is a writer and storyteller. Before raising children, she worked in travel, in the theater, and in Hollywood. While raising her children, she taught children’s creative writing and helped her husband in his motion-picture advertising business. A contributor to the book Hometown Pasadena and a graduate of San Francisco State, she is a lifelong resident of Pasadena, California.

Reviews

[Tessa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Across the Street, Around the Corner is a sweet meditation on what it means to intentionally build community with people it’s easy to forget to or to feel too scared or awkward to: your neighbors. Spanning decades, Carroll recounts stories of her life in Altadena– from growing up and causing mayhem with her siblings, to raising her own family and forming lifelong friendships with other mothers, to learning how to reimagine togetherness and street traditions in the early, most-isolating years of the COVID-19 pandemic. Seamlessly warping through time, Carroll adeptly paints a special story of the love and resiliency of Altadena and the countless people that fill the space with enduring spirit and joy. Across the Street, Around the Corner paints a hopeful roadmap for how we ought to know each other and show up for each other, beginning with a smile to an unknown but familiar face.

[Bmaceo · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a sweet reminder of what it means to create community in a neighborhood -- How doing small gestures of kindness can build lasting friendships, or just make someone's day when they might need it most. Mary Lea Carroll is a charming storyteller about what it means to be a neighbor in today's disconnected world, as well as during her early childhood, growing up in different times. A heartwarming read.

[Shelby Ann · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mary Lea Carroll crafted a beautiful collection of stories during trying times. While this book was originally based on the events of COVID-19, this book has astronomical relevance to the Eaton Fire. Perhaps this book can breath life into a city facing trying times.