Quincy Boy: A City of Presidents Memoir

by Brett Peruzzi

Quincy A City of Presidents Memoir is a lyrical yet unflinching portrait of a young man’s search for identity set against the gritty backdrop of Quincy, Massachusetts—a city steeped in history and shadowed by the legacy of presidents John Adams and John Quincy Adams.

Raised by his conservative Italian-American grandparents after being born to their unmarried daughter, the author struggles to find his place within his family and the world around him. As he progresses through adolescence in the 1970s, a storm of rebellion rises up in him, bringing risk, recklessness, and a deepening sense of disconnection. After experiencing the perils of heavy drinking, cliff jumping in Quincy’s water-filled quarries, and exploring Boston’s adult entertainment district, the Combat Zone, he finds validation in the emerging punk rock scene.

Years later, a string of family crises pulls him back to the city he tried to escape. Through painful revelations, a pilgrimage to Italy, and, ultimately, the unexpected discovery of the father he never knew, he begins to untangle the past and find peace with his origins, his heritage, and the city that shaped him.

295 pages, Kindle Edition

Published November 11, 2025

About the author

Brett Peruzzi grew up in Quincy, Massachusetts, during the 1960s and 1970s. His poems, fiction, and creative nonfiction have appeared in The Boston Globe, Ovunque Siamo, Exquisite Corpse, Modern Haiku, Toasted Cheese Literary Journal, Boston Poetry Magazine, Amethyst Review, and other publications.

A graduate of Bridgewater State College with a bachelor’s degree in English, he earned a master’s degree in technical and professional writing from Northeastern University, where he later served as an adjunct lecturer.

After a long career in the financial services industry as a technical communicator and product manager, he is now a self-employed writer, editor, and educator and lives in Framingham, Massachusetts.

Reviews

[Robyn Gold · Rating 5 out of 5]

From dancing traffic cops to death-defying quarry jumps, this memoir brims with vivid, sharply drawn moments from growing up in the hard-scrabble immigrant city of Quincy, Massachusetts. Spanning the years from bell bottoms to combat boots, it blends the universal pangs and triumphs of coming of age with a deeply personal quest—a young man’s search for the father who vanished from his life, and the identity he hopes to find in the process. Rich with time-capsule detail and emotional honesty, Quincy Boy is highly recommended for anyone who wants to revisit a fascinating era or explore what it means to grow up searching for where—and to whom—you truly belong.

[Dima Gabriel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Quincy Boy paints a vivid picture of a bygone time and place, filled with equal parts beauty and ugliness that resonates with anyone raised in working-class Massachusetts (or Anywhere, USA for that matter). Brett's skillful storytelling recounts the warmth of a tight-knit community, the claustrophobia of homogeny and tribalism of your beloved hometown, the beer and hormones-soaked air of punk rock shows, and the inevitable ups, downs, wins, and losses of ordinary life. I relate to so much of it myself, and highly recommend Quincy Boy to anyone that recalls jumping into sketchy water-filled quarries (and other such adolescent foolishness) with fondness, and yearns for some great stories.

[Steve Martin · Rating 5 out of 5]

I grew up just a few miles away, and just a few years later, than the time described in "Quincy Boy", but so much of this book felt familiar, even intimate. The places, the music, the folly of youth, the support of family... While Mr. Peruzzi's story is uniquely his own, the themes here are universal. A well-crafted memoir that will somehow remind all of us of growing up.

A genuine talent has delivered a compelling story of one American life set against the backdrop of one working-class American city. A great read if you're from the area, grew up in this era, or just love great music.

[Chris Erikson · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is the opening of a time capsule which accesses an intimate insight into growing up in Quincy, Massachusetts during the late-1960s, 70s and 80s. The author takes you on a freewheeling journey literally through the highs and lows of his youth, introducing the various characters he encounters along the way. Running parallel with his youthful antics are the challenging Italian-American family dynamics he faces that continue to evolve as he ages. Highly entertaining and historically informative, I highly recommend this book.

[John Kilborn · Rating 5 out of 5]

This Memoir presents vivid pictures of a time and place that ring true. For example, the descriptions of the Boston punk scene remind me of the shows that I attended! But it's not just about Quincy. It highlights the author's struggles to adapt to his unconventional upbringing, being raised by his grandparents while his mother lived doors away, eventually finding peace following his own path and uncovering his background that was kept hidden from him. Recommended!

[John Sabourin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Quincy Boy vividly portrays the almost universal experiences of boys coming of age in the south of Boston area during the 1960’s and 70’s. Set against a backdrop of the fading, industrialized city of Quincy, it is a story of one boy’s sometimes reckless journey towards an understanding of his origins and where that leads him as a man. I highly recommend this often entertaining book to anyone interested in venturing back to this “free-range” era.

[Joanne E · Rating 5 out of 5]

While the memoir is uniquely that of the author, I can’t help but think anyone reading it does not recognize moments from their own past. For me, the author shared his life experiences in a way that created a feeling of personal connection to many of my own experiences growing up. The book itself is well written and a pleasing read. It is refreshing to see a work with good grammar, correct spelling and well written sentence structure.

[Kevin A. · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a well-written and cogent account of growing up (mostly) Italian in a working-class city just outside of Boston in the 1970s. It has all the classic elements of a coming-of-age story with the twist of a complicated family life and an excellent rock and punk soundtrack thrown in. With this memoir, Brett Peruzzi has achieved the difficult feat of producing a book that is both relatable and fresh.

[MPR · Rating 5 out of 5]

A page turning reflection of his youth and coming of age, Peruzzi exceeds expectations with his debut memoir. The reader is treated to an intimate look into the colorful life of a young Italian man exploring all of life’s offerings in the cities of Quincy and Boston. Highlights include an inside look at the dawn of the punk scene, adolescent hijinks, and unique familial interpersonal relationships. I look forward to Peruzzi’s future publications. Way to go, Brett!

[Tim Brainerd · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brett's book brought back vivid memories of the many years I worked in Quincy, connecting with many coworkers, neighbors, families, and business folk from all neighborhoods of the town. He also highlights the differences and interactions between those neighborhoods and the different dynamics even within individual households. While it was a slightly restrained tell-all, it was a marvelous coming-of-age narrative! And its conversational style made it so easy to read. I wanted more!

[Andrew Noone · Rating 5 out of 5]

Slam Dunkin!

Before reading, Quincy had always meant just four things to me: Dunkin’, presidents, the quarries and shipyard. Brett certainly expanded my perspective, colorfully capturing the city’s diversity and traditions, my nostalgia for a similar time echoed poignantly in his. The past is less of a foreign country when reanimated through his eyes. Recommended!

[Henry Stimpson · Rating 5 out of 5]

A remarkable feat of personal archeology into detailed, always vivid memories of an unusual upbringing and wild youth in gritty Quincy, and his adult search for his missing father. Better than a documentary because Brett’s words let your imagination soar in his reconstructed world. And the photos are priceless!

[Richard A. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Quincy Boy is great! Brett Peruzzi tells his story in such a comfortable, easily relatable way.

[Lauren Peruzzi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Quite an Accurate 60s and 70s Colorful

This memoir contains many of the things youngsters did in the 70s that were not spoken about once they were adults. Very edgy and accurate.