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KooKooLand
In the tradition of The Glass Castle and With or Without You, a bracingly funny and chilling true crime memoir about a girl’s gutsy journey to escape her charismatic yet cruel father’s reign—an unforgettable story of violence, love, and, ultimately, triumph.
It’s the 1960s in Manchester, New Hampshire, and little Gloria Norris is growing up in the projects. Her parents are Jimmy and Shirley, her sister is Virginia, and her cat is Sylvester. A photo might show a happy, young family, but only a dummkopf would believe that.
Jimmy’s a wiseguy who relies on charm, snappy wit, and an unyielding belief that he’s above the law; as his youngest daughter, Gloria is just like him. Or at least, she knows that she needs to stay on his good side so he doesn’t brain her one. Jimmy is violent: he’s passionate about hunting, horse races and slasher flicks, and he’s prone to outbursts that have him screaming and reaching for his shotgun. Shirley, mild and meek as she is, tries to protect the girls from Jimmy’s most brutal moments, but the thing with Jimmy is that it’s his way or the highway. Virginia, older and wiser, tries to stand up to Jimmy. Gloria just wants to make him happy.
He takes Gloria everywhere. Fishing, hunting, drive-ins, and to his parents dingy bar—a hole in the wall with pickled eggs and pickled alkies. The only place Gloria can’t go is the dive where Jimmy bets on horses. It’s there, as she sits and waits for hours on end, that she imagines a life different from her own. Gloria’s favorite of Jimmy’s haunts? Hank Piasecny’s gun shop. While Hank and Jimmy throw good-humored insults at each other, Gloria talks to Hank’s daughter, Susan. Smart, pretty, kind, and ambitious, Susan is Gloria’s idol. She represents everything Gloria wants to be—and can be, as long as she tries as hard in school. Just like Susan tells her too.
It’s only when Hank commits an unspeakable act of violence, that Gloria and Susan suddenly find themselves on different paths. Hank’s violence and Susan’s grief serve as eerie warnings of a life to come, especially as Jimmy falls into a depression that has him making threats and reaching for his guns more often and with greater relish.
Against all odds, Gloria’s fiery determination takes shape and she sets herself on a path away from the cycle of violence whirling around her—in her home, in the projects, in her small New Hampshire city and even in the national landscape where the assassinations of President Kennedy and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and the brutality of Vietnam underscore the tragedies she witnesses up close.
Gloria Norris’s unconventional coming-of-age memoir jangles with electricity and suspense. The life of this gutsy young girl is unforgettable and inspiring, wrought with dark humor and tenderness. From the darkness her irrepressible pluck and determination emerges and Gloria triumphantly carves out a good life on her own terms.
It’s the 1960s in Manchester, New Hampshire, and little Gloria Norris is growing up in the projects. Her parents are Jimmy and Shirley, her sister is Virginia, and her cat is Sylvester. A photo might show a happy, young family, but only a dummkopf would believe that.
Jimmy’s a wiseguy who relies on charm, snappy wit, and an unyielding belief that he’s above the law; as his youngest daughter, Gloria is just like him. Or at least, she knows that she needs to stay on his good side so he doesn’t brain her one. Jimmy is violent: he’s passionate about hunting, horse races and slasher flicks, and he’s prone to outbursts that have him screaming and reaching for his shotgun. Shirley, mild and meek as she is, tries to protect the girls from Jimmy’s most brutal moments, but the thing with Jimmy is that it’s his way or the highway. Virginia, older and wiser, tries to stand up to Jimmy. Gloria just wants to make him happy.
He takes Gloria everywhere. Fishing, hunting, drive-ins, and to his parents dingy bar—a hole in the wall with pickled eggs and pickled alkies. The only place Gloria can’t go is the dive where Jimmy bets on horses. It’s there, as she sits and waits for hours on end, that she imagines a life different from her own. Gloria’s favorite of Jimmy’s haunts? Hank Piasecny’s gun shop. While Hank and Jimmy throw good-humored insults at each other, Gloria talks to Hank’s daughter, Susan. Smart, pretty, kind, and ambitious, Susan is Gloria’s idol. She represents everything Gloria wants to be—and can be, as long as she tries as hard in school. Just like Susan tells her too.
It’s only when Hank commits an unspeakable act of violence, that Gloria and Susan suddenly find themselves on different paths. Hank’s violence and Susan’s grief serve as eerie warnings of a life to come, especially as Jimmy falls into a depression that has him making threats and reaching for his guns more often and with greater relish.
Against all odds, Gloria’s fiery determination takes shape and she sets herself on a path away from the cycle of violence whirling around her—in her home, in the projects, in her small New Hampshire city and even in the national landscape where the assassinations of President Kennedy and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and the brutality of Vietnam underscore the tragedies she witnesses up close.
Gloria Norris’s unconventional coming-of-age memoir jangles with electricity and suspense. The life of this gutsy young girl is unforgettable and inspiring, wrought with dark humor and tenderness. From the darkness her irrepressible pluck and determination emerges and Gloria triumphantly carves out a good life on her own terms.
373 pages, Kindle Edition
First published June 9, 2015
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 182 reviews
December 30, 2015
We heard Jimmy's car pulling up to the curb --- the worst sound in the world.
Young Gloria grew up with a tyrant of a father, who ruled his family with the proverbial iron fist. His wife and two daughter's walked on eggshells to avoid incurring the wrath of Jimmy. Thanks to her dad, Gloria and her increasingly rebellious older sister, Virginia, lived surrounded by stolen merchandise, bookies and loan sharks. He forced the girls to sit through violent horror films, scared them with tales of the Boston Strangler and bullied them with threats of bodily harm and even death. He was even more of a monster to his wife, Shirley.
"I'm not taking anyone's side," said Shirley. " I just ---"
"I don't see you taking my side. I don't see you ever taking my side. And you should be taking my side. You should be taking my side all the time. I'm your husband. I'm the head of the family and you treat me like I'm Joe Palooka."
He refused to let her learn to drive a car and made her keep her Canadian citizenship in case the "fuzz came looking for him" and he needed to make a "quick escape across the border." Though she meekly agreed to his wishes, she found ways to slyly subvert his authority.
"See?" Jimmy laughed. "I was right. Remember, your old man is always right."
So what's a young girl to do? Little Gloria, who dreamed of being a lady doctor, a stewardess and a writer of mysteries, found ways to cope. She took refuge in a candy that was quite near and dear to my own heart during the sixties -
She also developed a girl-crush on Susan, the daughter of Jimmy's closest friend. And there was always a dream of escaping to Kookooland, the name that Jimmy called California . . .
This book was both humorous and harrowing, with many parts that were upsetting to read. In short, it's a satisfying, page-turning look at one woman's early years spent in an unusual household.
"Your father's not all bad."
"Maybe not," I said. "But he's bad enough."
Young Gloria grew up with a tyrant of a father, who ruled his family with the proverbial iron fist. His wife and two daughter's walked on eggshells to avoid incurring the wrath of Jimmy. Thanks to her dad, Gloria and her increasingly rebellious older sister, Virginia, lived surrounded by stolen merchandise, bookies and loan sharks. He forced the girls to sit through violent horror films, scared them with tales of the Boston Strangler and bullied them with threats of bodily harm and even death. He was even more of a monster to his wife, Shirley.
"I'm not taking anyone's side," said Shirley. " I just ---"
"I don't see you taking my side. I don't see you ever taking my side. And you should be taking my side. You should be taking my side all the time. I'm your husband. I'm the head of the family and you treat me like I'm Joe Palooka."
He refused to let her learn to drive a car and made her keep her Canadian citizenship in case the "fuzz came looking for him" and he needed to make a "quick escape across the border." Though she meekly agreed to his wishes, she found ways to slyly subvert his authority.
"See?" Jimmy laughed. "I was right. Remember, your old man is always right."
So what's a young girl to do? Little Gloria, who dreamed of being a lady doctor, a stewardess and a writer of mysteries, found ways to cope. She took refuge in a candy that was quite near and dear to my own heart during the sixties -
She also developed a girl-crush on Susan, the daughter of Jimmy's closest friend. And there was always a dream of escaping to Kookooland, the name that Jimmy called California . . .
This book was both humorous and harrowing, with many parts that were upsetting to read. In short, it's a satisfying, page-turning look at one woman's early years spent in an unusual household.
"Your father's not all bad."
"Maybe not," I said. "But he's bad enough."
July 11, 2016
Norris possesses a fluid conversational writing style that enables the reader to feel connected to the characters in Kookooland. She brings you into her family in the 1960's Manchester, New Hampshire where she struggles against the odds to survive her upbringing. This memoir is honest and true. One of my favorite books has always been A Tree Grows in Brooklyn (Betty Smith), every time I finish that book I'm always sad that it's over. I don't want to stop spending time with Francie and her family. This is the only other book that has left me feeling that same connection to a family in print. When I read the last page of Kookooland, I didn't want it to be over. I was sad that my journey with Gloria had ended. If you are looking for a story of survival against the odds, perseverance, bravery, and truth - this is a must read for you.
May 18, 2018
KOOKOOLAND is a memoir that reads like a novel--of a young woman's experience growing up with a father who today would be called a textbook psychopath, but 40 years ago was just called charming, crafty and temperamental.
This is one that will stick with you, even though some passages are difficult to read, such as the gasp-inducing insults and threats the father piles on his wife and young daughters. He is also, unsurprisingly, mean to animals--or at least those animals who aren't making him money at the track.
I really liked that the author kept up with her childhood friend, Susan, and included a photo of herself and Susan at the book's conclusion.
This is one that will stick with you, even though some passages are difficult to read, such as the gasp-inducing insults and threats the father piles on his wife and young daughters. He is also, unsurprisingly, mean to animals--or at least those animals who aren't making him money at the track.
I really liked that the author kept up with her childhood friend, Susan, and included a photo of herself and Susan at the book's conclusion.
April 23, 2017
I sincerely LOVED this book, it was sad and wonderful all that the same time. Because this book took place in my own backyard (I live in Concord, NH!!) I felt an immediate connection. Very good read.
September 7, 2018
Excellent book. I lived in that general area of the East Coast in the 80’s. I knew about neighborhoods similar to where she grew up and I knew the poverty there. However, I’d never imagined a situation with a family and home life that she experienced. Her story is both horrific and very funny (in an ‘ OHMYGOD’ sorta of way.) She writes very well, the descriptive dialect she uses for herself and her family is comic and poignant. It’s a remarkable story.
January 5, 2016
I received my copy for free in exchange for a honest review through NetGalley.
This book was a bit difficult for me.
Because it is a memoir and I always fell wrong say that I didn't like or enjoy parts of memoirs, because that was their life and they are sharing it so say that I did not really enjoy this book is kind of hard for me. But this story just did not work for me, at all, sadly.
And not because of the story plot -alcoholic violent father, difficult childhood, and just overall extremely controlling and honestly stupidly father figure- but because the way this story was told just didn’t work for me, at all.
It felt like Matilda parents from the movie "Matilda", the "we are the smart and best people but actually really have no idea at all what the world is all about" and the overly extreme way of "you are dumb, I am smart, you are little, I am big, you are nothing, I am everything" thing that jimmy had throughout this entire book.
And that made the entire book just extremely hard to read for me. i always felt as if some sections where over done, not realistic at all. and that is something i hate saying about a memoir because clearly it was the way this specific person experienced those moments. be it that they actually happened kn this way that feel completely “movie” to me or if the memories made those moments a bit more extreme... it doesn’t matter. what matters is that the author remembers them this way.
so it’s hard for me to say, but it just felt too overdone to me, to dramatized in some moments.
I mean Norris managed to write in such a childish way for most of the book that it really did feel like a child wrote the book. And the story was interesting and a good one to be told. But it just...
It just wasn't a book for me personally! and i know other people experience that too, where they want to connect with a memoir, but something just does not click!
Not because of the story or what the book had to say, and I do appreachiated what and that it was shared, which i am sure where extremely hard parts of her life, but her writing just didn't work for me.
BUT I would definitely recommend people to try this book and give it a go, as long as they are not squeamish about violence!
See if you enjoy the writing for yourself, because the story?
it deserves to be read!
This book was a bit difficult for me.
Because it is a memoir and I always fell wrong say that I didn't like or enjoy parts of memoirs, because that was their life and they are sharing it so say that I did not really enjoy this book is kind of hard for me. But this story just did not work for me, at all, sadly.
And not because of the story plot -alcoholic violent father, difficult childhood, and just overall extremely controlling and honestly stupidly father figure- but because the way this story was told just didn’t work for me, at all.
It felt like Matilda parents from the movie "Matilda", the "we are the smart and best people but actually really have no idea at all what the world is all about" and the overly extreme way of "you are dumb, I am smart, you are little, I am big, you are nothing, I am everything" thing that jimmy had throughout this entire book.
And that made the entire book just extremely hard to read for me. i always felt as if some sections where over done, not realistic at all. and that is something i hate saying about a memoir because clearly it was the way this specific person experienced those moments. be it that they actually happened kn this way that feel completely “movie” to me or if the memories made those moments a bit more extreme... it doesn’t matter. what matters is that the author remembers them this way.
so it’s hard for me to say, but it just felt too overdone to me, to dramatized in some moments.
I mean Norris managed to write in such a childish way for most of the book that it really did feel like a child wrote the book. And the story was interesting and a good one to be told. But it just...
It just wasn't a book for me personally! and i know other people experience that too, where they want to connect with a memoir, but something just does not click!
Not because of the story or what the book had to say, and I do appreachiated what and that it was shared, which i am sure where extremely hard parts of her life, but her writing just didn't work for me.
BUT I would definitely recommend people to try this book and give it a go, as long as they are not squeamish about violence!
See if you enjoy the writing for yourself, because the story?
it deserves to be read!
March 22, 2017
Wow, what a book. I picked it up because the story was based in New Hampshire. I loved the NH slang and terms, I grew up hearing some of the same phrases.
Gloria Norris tells a tale so vivid, it's like watching a movie. A great read if you love memoirs about people overcoming a really rough childhood.
Gloria Norris tells a tale so vivid, it's like watching a movie. A great read if you love memoirs about people overcoming a really rough childhood.
January 5, 2016
Thank You to Regan Arts for providing me with an advanced copy of Gloria Norris' memoir, Kookooland, in exchange for an honest review.
PLOT- In her memoir, Kookooland, Gloria Norris details her childhood growing up in New Hampshire in the 1960's. Norris lives in the projects with her parents and her older sister, Virginia. Norris' father, Jimmy, is mentally unstable and the family is ruled by his whims. He can be charming and always has a scheme to support his gambling addiction, but he can also be tyrannical and abusive. Her mother, Shirley, is too fearful to leave him and instead, turns to alcohol and drugs for escape.
As a child, Norris idolizes Susan, the older daughter of Jimmy's friend Hank. Norris' imagination runs wild with ideas of how she can become Susan's best friend and charm the older girl. Her dreams are dashed, when Hank murders Susan's mother and is sent to prison, pushing Norris even further to the edge of Susan's life.
As an adult, Norris reexamines her childhood obsession with Susan and finds parallels in the violence that both of their families experienced. She reconnects with Susan and discovers a person very changed from the girl that she once admired.
LIKE - I can't remember the last time that I read a story with such a strong narrative voice. Norris, as a child picking up on the lingo of her wise-guy father and his friends, was a force. She immediately brought me into her world and taught me some new phrases!
The voice alone would have been enough to make me love Norris' writing, but the story is a powerhouse. There is never a moment that I didn't feel like Norris or her mother/sister, were potentially in danger. There was even a chapter where I was very fearful for the family cat. The danger is always under the surface, making the story tense and a page turner. I could never have anticipated where Norris was going to take me, especially the twist with Susan. Crazy stuff.
This memoir has many layers and Norris is a strong voice speaking out against domestic violence. There is the sad element of Norris still wanting her father's approval, even when she knows that he has been cruel to her and she is trying to break free from him. Also sad, is watching her mom suffer and trying to find the balance between helping her mother and not creating problems with her father, which could result in more retaliation directed towards her mother. It's compelling to see the terrible dysfunction and abuse in Norris' family, but then to realize that it goes up a notch with Susan's story.
DISLIKE- Nothing. It's disturbing and often difficult to read, but Kookooland is a true horror story, one that needs to be shared.
RECOMMEND- Yes. Kookooland is an important and compelling read. This will be the memoir that everyone is buzzing about in 2016. It's a powerhouse.
Like my review? Check out my blog!
PLOT- In her memoir, Kookooland, Gloria Norris details her childhood growing up in New Hampshire in the 1960's. Norris lives in the projects with her parents and her older sister, Virginia. Norris' father, Jimmy, is mentally unstable and the family is ruled by his whims. He can be charming and always has a scheme to support his gambling addiction, but he can also be tyrannical and abusive. Her mother, Shirley, is too fearful to leave him and instead, turns to alcohol and drugs for escape.
As a child, Norris idolizes Susan, the older daughter of Jimmy's friend Hank. Norris' imagination runs wild with ideas of how she can become Susan's best friend and charm the older girl. Her dreams are dashed, when Hank murders Susan's mother and is sent to prison, pushing Norris even further to the edge of Susan's life.
As an adult, Norris reexamines her childhood obsession with Susan and finds parallels in the violence that both of their families experienced. She reconnects with Susan and discovers a person very changed from the girl that she once admired.
LIKE - I can't remember the last time that I read a story with such a strong narrative voice. Norris, as a child picking up on the lingo of her wise-guy father and his friends, was a force. She immediately brought me into her world and taught me some new phrases!
The voice alone would have been enough to make me love Norris' writing, but the story is a powerhouse. There is never a moment that I didn't feel like Norris or her mother/sister, were potentially in danger. There was even a chapter where I was very fearful for the family cat. The danger is always under the surface, making the story tense and a page turner. I could never have anticipated where Norris was going to take me, especially the twist with Susan. Crazy stuff.
This memoir has many layers and Norris is a strong voice speaking out against domestic violence. There is the sad element of Norris still wanting her father's approval, even when she knows that he has been cruel to her and she is trying to break free from him. Also sad, is watching her mom suffer and trying to find the balance between helping her mother and not creating problems with her father, which could result in more retaliation directed towards her mother. It's compelling to see the terrible dysfunction and abuse in Norris' family, but then to realize that it goes up a notch with Susan's story.
DISLIKE- Nothing. It's disturbing and often difficult to read, but Kookooland is a true horror story, one that needs to be shared.
RECOMMEND- Yes. Kookooland is an important and compelling read. This will be the memoir that everyone is buzzing about in 2016. It's a powerhouse.
Like my review? Check out my blog!
October 26, 2015
The language in this book made me feel like I was living with Gloria trapped in her dysfunctional family at the mercy of her 'wiseguy' daddy Jimmy. Gloria has picked up more than just some of his personality traits but his language as well, not often knowing better. In fact, some of his racists remarks confuse the young girl. Never sure of the when the storm in her father will rage, like when he loses at the race track, her sister, mother and her are always on guard. The people Jimmy has around him range from dangerously cagey to brilliant, as is his friend Hank's daughter Susan. Susan becomes the model of what Gloria wishes to become until something brutally tragic happens to change the trajectory of her once promising life. From there, the memoir darkens.
The beauty of this memoir is that it remains raw to the end, when Gloria shows the reader that unlike in fiction where the author can play God and make the rot inside a character become fertile soil that later grows roses, in real life the rot inside some of us never goes away. Some people remain bitter to their dying day and sometimes, even if we fear them, we can still love them too.
Jimmy is a father you can love and hate, sometimes in unequal measure! His charm and no nonsense mind can seem impressive while his cruel, jealous side leaves no room for empathy. Shirley, her poor mother whose decision to marry this damaged man after her own tragic losses and heartbreak is enough to trap her in a marriage with a sexist bully and yet even she still makes excuses for Jimmy. Gloria's sister doesn't escape unscathed either from the trauma of such an upbringing and always feels unwanted as her own mother ran off. Brutal but at times funny too- even in the midst of so much sorrow. Gloria finds a life of her own and might just escape the poverty of her youth, but it's one hell of a ride! The people who touched her past remain rooted in her heart and we learn too where life takes Susan. Endings aren't all rainbows, but that's life.
The beauty of this memoir is that it remains raw to the end, when Gloria shows the reader that unlike in fiction where the author can play God and make the rot inside a character become fertile soil that later grows roses, in real life the rot inside some of us never goes away. Some people remain bitter to their dying day and sometimes, even if we fear them, we can still love them too.
Jimmy is a father you can love and hate, sometimes in unequal measure! His charm and no nonsense mind can seem impressive while his cruel, jealous side leaves no room for empathy. Shirley, her poor mother whose decision to marry this damaged man after her own tragic losses and heartbreak is enough to trap her in a marriage with a sexist bully and yet even she still makes excuses for Jimmy. Gloria's sister doesn't escape unscathed either from the trauma of such an upbringing and always feels unwanted as her own mother ran off. Brutal but at times funny too- even in the midst of so much sorrow. Gloria finds a life of her own and might just escape the poverty of her youth, but it's one hell of a ride! The people who touched her past remain rooted in her heart and we learn too where life takes Susan. Endings aren't all rainbows, but that's life.
January 30, 2016
KooKooLand was a harrowing, poignant book about growing up poor in Manchester, NH in a family where words were weapons and fists were used to demand absolute obedience. This book is about being terrorized by a racist, small-minded father who drinks, lies, steals and bullies his way through life right up until his death. It is about being unprotected by a beaten-down mother and it is about the captivating spell he cast on his youngest daughter who became tough and compliant to earn her father's favor and stay safe. And yes, to be loved by him as much as he was capable.
There are many memoirs about alcoholism, poverty and violence but what is unique about this memoir is Gloria's voice which is childlike, brave, terrified and completely present. She brings you right in to what it is like to be THAT child, with THAT father and I read straight through the night with my heart hanging outside my body yearning and hoping for this little girl.
Interwoven, and really the dead center of Gloria's story, is her crush on an older girl who seems to be making it. Studious, church-going, kind with her eye on her future, Susan also lives with a violent father. Susan encourages Gloria, lets her know that she can escape her past and urges her to do well in school and move forward. Gloria hangs on to her words, uses her as a model of how her future might be different from her mothers and even tries to believe in God for her. We watch Susan graduate and then go to medical school when tragedy happens. Without giving away too much detail, it is suffice to say Gloria learns that all is not what it seems and the the truth is that it is so hard to move past a violent childhood, sometimes impossible to do so. But for Gloria, after coming to a reckoning about who Susan really is and still with deep love and respect for her, keeps dreaming. What I love about this book is that the ending is completely satisfying. It does not give false hope or give short shrift to the damage and the waste and losses experienced by Gloria and her mother but it does allow us to see that even with that there can be some contentment and possibility of creating a life filled with decency, connection and love.
Thank you to Netgalley and Regent Arts for allowing me to review this book for an honest opinion.
There are many memoirs about alcoholism, poverty and violence but what is unique about this memoir is Gloria's voice which is childlike, brave, terrified and completely present. She brings you right in to what it is like to be THAT child, with THAT father and I read straight through the night with my heart hanging outside my body yearning and hoping for this little girl.
Interwoven, and really the dead center of Gloria's story, is her crush on an older girl who seems to be making it. Studious, church-going, kind with her eye on her future, Susan also lives with a violent father. Susan encourages Gloria, lets her know that she can escape her past and urges her to do well in school and move forward. Gloria hangs on to her words, uses her as a model of how her future might be different from her mothers and even tries to believe in God for her. We watch Susan graduate and then go to medical school when tragedy happens. Without giving away too much detail, it is suffice to say Gloria learns that all is not what it seems and the the truth is that it is so hard to move past a violent childhood, sometimes impossible to do so. But for Gloria, after coming to a reckoning about who Susan really is and still with deep love and respect for her, keeps dreaming. What I love about this book is that the ending is completely satisfying. It does not give false hope or give short shrift to the damage and the waste and losses experienced by Gloria and her mother but it does allow us to see that even with that there can be some contentment and possibility of creating a life filled with decency, connection and love.
Thank you to Netgalley and Regent Arts for allowing me to review this book for an honest opinion.
May 25, 2016
I read "Kookooland " several months ago and thoroughly enjoyed it. A few weeks later , I happened to meet the author, Gloria Norris at a book signing and thanked her for the "ride along" .--and her willingness to share both the hysterically funny and occasionally tragic events of her life with such candor and grace.
I mentioned that we would be reading and discussing Kookooland at our upcoming book club and Gloria offered to come up from LA to facilitate the discussion !
What an incredible evening . ! Her willingness to share intimate details of her childhood and adolescence , which were eloquently described in the book really brought Kookooland to life for all of us.
By the end of the evening , we shared
Details of our own life experiences growing up--As it turns out, we've all driven (or ridden) on Kookooland Freeway-/just at different times!
Thanks again Gloria for sharing your life with us.
I mentioned that we would be reading and discussing Kookooland at our upcoming book club and Gloria offered to come up from LA to facilitate the discussion !
What an incredible evening . ! Her willingness to share intimate details of her childhood and adolescence , which were eloquently described in the book really brought Kookooland to life for all of us.
By the end of the evening , we shared
Details of our own life experiences growing up--As it turns out, we've all driven (or ridden) on Kookooland Freeway-/just at different times!
Thanks again Gloria for sharing your life with us.
July 15, 2016
An excellent and fascinating account of a crime close to the author. Her abusive father, Jimmy, is good friends with Hank, father of Susan, who Gloria adores and vice versa. Susan is pretty. Susan is intelligent. Susan is going to be a doctor. But everything changes when Hank murders Susan's mother (his ex-wife) and boyfriend. Ms. Norris is a screenwriter so perhaps that aids in presenting this story in such vivid detail. There is a wonderful juxtaposition of the violence of the crime and its domino-effect aftermath alongside coming-of-age "terrors." The longing for escape is palpable, but not everyone can escape the cycle of violence. I won't spoil it if you have not read it or are not familiar with the New Yorker piece by Calvin Trillin. I was drawn in instantly and could not put this down. Very fine storytelling, Ms. Norris. An excellent summer read.
January 3, 2016
Thank you Net Galley for giving me a free copy of this book for review.
I was attracted to the title of this book because I've often felt that I spent my childhood in Kookooland. I guess I'm right about that since Kookooland is what the author's colorful father called California, which is where I grew up. Gloria's father was such a loud character with a voice and way of speaking so unfamiliar to me that I had trouble getting through the first portion of the book. After I got used to the author's and her family's voice I enjoyed her story. I particularly liked the way she tied up all the questions at the end of the book.
I was attracted to the title of this book because I've often felt that I spent my childhood in Kookooland. I guess I'm right about that since Kookooland is what the author's colorful father called California, which is where I grew up. Gloria's father was such a loud character with a voice and way of speaking so unfamiliar to me that I had trouble getting through the first portion of the book. After I got used to the author's and her family's voice I enjoyed her story. I particularly liked the way she tied up all the questions at the end of the book.
August 11, 2017
Because this book is based in my home town, I think it was all the more poignant. I could literally picture the sights and sounds that she experienced since a lot of the landmarks are still here. I highly recommend it, and not just to my friends who live here in the Queen City. It also makes me want to read more about the main characters and the actual court cases.
March 13, 2019
This book hooked me from the very beginning. I loved the way the author wrote about her family through the lens of childhood in such an authentic way. Her view of them as she grew older was both heartbreaking and wise. I truly loved this book
January 8, 2016
A raw honest book .Gloria brings us in to her life as a child a life of terror a life she needs to escape.A memoir I could not put down.
August 20, 2026
I swapped to audio to finish this one up as physical reads (paperbacks and hardcover) are still a challenge for both my brain and my achy hands these days. I'm glad I made the change, though, because the author narrates the audio!
This was quite the interesting read about my home state and I'm glad my mom made the recommendation. I will say, however, that the language used was a choice. I understand that some of the words used were used as Jimmy's own words, but it still felt *wrong*. IDK how else to say it, but I think I would have made a few changes for the slurs, at the very least. I get the choice to leave them in for authenticity, but I don't think it added to, or would have detracted from, the feeling of the memoir to edit.
This was quite the interesting read about my home state and I'm glad my mom made the recommendation. I will say, however, that the language used was a choice. I understand that some of the words used were used as Jimmy's own words, but it still felt *wrong*. IDK how else to say it, but I think I would have made a few changes for the slurs, at the very least. I get the choice to leave them in for authenticity, but I don't think it added to, or would have detracted from, the feeling of the memoir to edit.
February 7, 2016
This book was very engaging and pulls you along to find out what happens next, you root for Gloria the whole way, indeed you root for all the characters. I read the book in just a few days. The resilience of a child came through clear in the beginning, well, through the whole book really, but especially her earlier years, willing to justify her father's actions to avoid repercussions and still in the "daddy is my hero" time period. Humorous and sobering at the same time. And in his defense, her father had moments where he would take them fun places and try to have a family life, but simply did not know how to control his demons nor the trappings of his generation, nor the trappings of his upbringing. Its easy to sit back and judge him, but you do see glimmers of humanity under all that anger and prejudice, and suppressed pain there as well. A slice of humanity in all its sometimes warts and ugliness and what coping mechanisms were used to survive. A glimpse into a side of life I, fortunately never had to experience. How many homes deal with this scenario that never come to light? The telling of her story was also deliberately not sugar-coated and a glimpse into her searching for meaning, the beginnings of who she thought Susan was, from the naive mind of a child, her longing to have a friendship with her, her discovery that her belief that Susan was doing better than she was in error, the ultimate truth that Susan was struggling with her own life's challenges, and her own dysfunctional family, her wish to become her friend finally coming to fruition but after many hard roads for both of them and years of searching for her. Gloria skillfully weaves the individual stories of each person, herself, her father, her mother, the grandmother, Susan and each individual member of her family, into a coherent whole and how each life intertwines the others. You feel the palpable pain of each one. You pull for each person, your mind hopes and prays, maybe this one or that one will finally come to their senses. The intertwining theme is each person surviving the current abusive situation figuring out whatever coping mechanism they can, struggling against despondency, discouragement, and hopelessness that they can ever finally get out of the situation. That feeling of being trapped with the abusive tendencies of her father. Gloria determined one way or another that she was going to get out, out of the projects and away from her father, but was torn because she knew it would cause an explosive reaction from him and would cut her off from her mother. The mother's story and her struggles were very poignant as well, and Gloria's ultimate discovery of her mother going back to her father, in the face of all the ugliness, being a better choice than leaving him. He struggled with mental illness, and though abusive, for her to leave him alone to his own devices, no telling what that would have meant for him, she in a way, by being willing to be controlled, was keeping him under control, kept him from losing his temper in worse ways and perhaps shooting someone and ending up in prison, etc. I know this review is a bit random and rambling but there was a lot to digest in this book. My mind returns to it once in a while. I would definitely recommend it, especially if you like to read about people, in all their frustrating, puzzling fascinating complexity, and are searching for what makes them tick. You think, how could she stay, the mother, how could Gloria miss her father sometimes, even after she had managed to get away, why did she feel compelled to go back and make sure they were ok sometimes. Family ties, no matter how horrible the family is sometimes, or how bad the situation, are strong. Her father would verbally, most often , and sometimes physically abuse them, but hurt or insult one of his family members and he was ready to "knock their block off". A lot of "meat and potatoes" to this book, I will likely go back at some point and reread it as well. A skillfully written slice of humanity. Kudos to the author, and I would like read more by her if she decides to write more in the future. Great descriptive style, no dry spots. **I received this book as an Advance Reader Copy from Netgalley**
February 9, 2017
One nice side effect of having two snow days called this week is that I have had plenty of time to finish Gloria Norris' autobiography Kookooland, which is being discussed next Monday night at the Music Hall book group. What a read. Ouf! I was actually uncomfortable reading many passages in this book as it brought back too many memories from my past, but my life was a picnic compared to hers. Gloria Norris has become a script writer and worked with many famous people (Woody Allen, for example), and her effort to tell the tale of her family and that of her "blood sister" Susan and her family is pretty scary stuff. It begins when she is a 9 year-old living with father Jimmy (from a Greek immigrant background) and her mother Shirley (from Nova Scotia) and her stepsister Virginia. Jimmy's "best friend" is Hank, whose daughter is Susan, and their stories are interwoven with those of the Norris clan. I am in awe of how authentic the book feels and Gloria's ability to capture the language in such pitch-perfect tones. Jimmy is a sadistic bully, a sexist, a racist.... but her father. Shirley is a classic abused wife who doesn't feel she has any choice but to stay. The atmosphere of Manchester New Hampshire in the 1960's and beyond feels realistic, and as I am only four years older than her, all the references resonated with me. But Gloria made it out, and I admire her and continue to be convinced that a good education is one of the only ways to escape a horrific childhood. Like me, Gloria hung on to school with a passion. "I was intrigued by the whole Exodus story. I related to the ancient Jews' longing to get out from under a bully's thumb. It seemed that for centuries, some people were always trying to make other people's lives living hell. But the Jews had finally gotten free, so I figured maybe there was hope for me." Not an easy read, but an excellent one.
December 29, 2015
I got a free copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
I would give 2 stars for the first half of the book and 4 for the second half. I was drawn to this book for its similarities to Glass Castle, which was a book I loved. At first, I was comparing it to Glass Castle and not as impressed with it. I thought Kookooland started a little slow, and that the first half was like a collection of short, unconnected stories with the same characters. The language took some getting used to as well, and at the beginning it was irritating to me. I think part of my distaste for the first half of the book is that Jimmy and his buddies are so dislikable it is difficult to stomach some of the experiences described, while all the characters seem to yield unquestioningly to everything outrageous that he does.
But by about the halfway point I got engrossed as Gloria, Virginia and Susan grow up and start to rebel against their fathers´ ways. Charting their own paths is not easy or straightforward, as they deal with tension between wanting a different life and the ties that bind every family. Norris is painfully honest as she relays the choices and consequences of each character. I was often saddened by the very negative choices and consequences the characters made, but also inspired by Gloria´s overcoming and determination. She is an example to those who face tremendous opposition and troubled backgrounds that it is possible to create a new life, even while remaining connected to family.
I would give 2 stars for the first half of the book and 4 for the second half. I was drawn to this book for its similarities to Glass Castle, which was a book I loved. At first, I was comparing it to Glass Castle and not as impressed with it. I thought Kookooland started a little slow, and that the first half was like a collection of short, unconnected stories with the same characters. The language took some getting used to as well, and at the beginning it was irritating to me. I think part of my distaste for the first half of the book is that Jimmy and his buddies are so dislikable it is difficult to stomach some of the experiences described, while all the characters seem to yield unquestioningly to everything outrageous that he does.
But by about the halfway point I got engrossed as Gloria, Virginia and Susan grow up and start to rebel against their fathers´ ways. Charting their own paths is not easy or straightforward, as they deal with tension between wanting a different life and the ties that bind every family. Norris is painfully honest as she relays the choices and consequences of each character. I was often saddened by the very negative choices and consequences the characters made, but also inspired by Gloria´s overcoming and determination. She is an example to those who face tremendous opposition and troubled backgrounds that it is possible to create a new life, even while remaining connected to family.
April 3, 2016
Kookooland is a memoir, written from a firsthand perspective of a young girl named Gloria. She lives with her mother, father and sister in the projects of Manchester, New Jersey. Her father Jimmy, is extremely cruel and controlling. Gloria's mother Shirley is kind and loving but is unable to stand up to her husband. Her daughter tries to go along to get along, in particular with her father so that he doesn’t become abusive. Jimmy loves horse races, swindling people and getting one over on the police.
Jimmy’s best friend Hank Piasceny is a millionaire. The millionaire owns a gun shop. Jimmy loves going to the gun shop and spending time with him. Hank, in particular relishes complaining about his wife. He feels that she has committed unforgivable and unspeakable acts against him. Ultimately, Hank Piasceny commits a violent crime against his wife when she attempts to divorce him for domestic abuse. His daughter Susan’s life is impacted for years to come. She, as an older ‘best friend’ was Gloria’s idol when she was a young girl. Gloria attempts to keep in touch with Susan after they grew up, regardless of the choices that Susan made that changed her family and community irrevocably. Kookooland is a tragic tale of crime, abuse and familial ties that bind.
Jimmy’s best friend Hank Piasceny is a millionaire. The millionaire owns a gun shop. Jimmy loves going to the gun shop and spending time with him. Hank, in particular relishes complaining about his wife. He feels that she has committed unforgivable and unspeakable acts against him. Ultimately, Hank Piasceny commits a violent crime against his wife when she attempts to divorce him for domestic abuse. His daughter Susan’s life is impacted for years to come. She, as an older ‘best friend’ was Gloria’s idol when she was a young girl. Gloria attempts to keep in touch with Susan after they grew up, regardless of the choices that Susan made that changed her family and community irrevocably. Kookooland is a tragic tale of crime, abuse and familial ties that bind.
December 21, 2015
*I received a free copy of Kookooland through the Goodreads giveaways program.*
Wow.
This narrative is one of the most intense and brutally honest books I have ever read. Her use of language is gripping, and it often lead me to have visceral gut reactions to a lot of the scenes throughout. The memoir centers around the author's formative years which were filled with chaos and violence, but it also examines another woman's experiences with her own violent father. As the narrative progresses, the two women take diverging pathways in response to their violent upbringings, highlighting the importance of being aware of the legacy of DV/violence and how it can carry on through generations. I found the author's nuanced perspectives of all the people involved to be both compassionate and enlightening, and her narrative was very moving. Unfortunately, I think there are many people who can relate to her story, and, unfortunately, their stories are not often told. I am thankful that the author chose to write this book, because I am sure that it will resonate with others and hopefully lead others to examine their own family histories and legacies.
Overall, I would definitely recommend. Very engaging.
Wow.
This narrative is one of the most intense and brutally honest books I have ever read. Her use of language is gripping, and it often lead me to have visceral gut reactions to a lot of the scenes throughout. The memoir centers around the author's formative years which were filled with chaos and violence, but it also examines another woman's experiences with her own violent father. As the narrative progresses, the two women take diverging pathways in response to their violent upbringings, highlighting the importance of being aware of the legacy of DV/violence and how it can carry on through generations. I found the author's nuanced perspectives of all the people involved to be both compassionate and enlightening, and her narrative was very moving. Unfortunately, I think there are many people who can relate to her story, and, unfortunately, their stories are not often told. I am thankful that the author chose to write this book, because I am sure that it will resonate with others and hopefully lead others to examine their own family histories and legacies.
Overall, I would definitely recommend. Very engaging.
January 2, 2016
An outstanding memoir. It is of no surpirse that the author, Gloria Norris, grew up to become a screenwriter. Her telling of her childhood in the projects of Manchester, NH is poignant, visual and visceral. Jimmy, her Greek father, is a bully - attacking with words and his fists. He lives to play the horses, deal in black market goods and drugs. He takes Gloria everywhere with him - exposing the 9 year old to a world of violence. Norris's voice and vocabulary change throughout the memoir as her pride in her "strong" father changes to hatred as she realizes what he really is. Her mother, Shirley, cowers- but tries to protect her daughters - Gloria and a teenage, Virginia, Jimmy took away from his first wife by scaring her away with threats of death. To Jimmy, all women are weak, whores and must obey their husbands and fathers - especially his own girls.
A great voice. A book that deserves to be read and talked about.
A great voice. A book that deserves to be read and talked about.
March 26, 2016
How did Gloria Norris come out whole while being raised by the tyrant she portrays? Her father (she calls her parents Shirley and Jimmy throughout, which is a device that works perfectly here) is of the Pat Conroy type--the constant references to the perfect way is the military way and his growth apparently stopped at that point. Among many other things he called her Dracula because of her teeth and dumdum that rest of the time. As the story moves on we always expect that any good won't continue. The grandparents (the father's parents) are also unhelpful and unsupportive. This memoir provides enough suspense and layer upon layer of tragedy to keep a reader going for over 300 pages--long for a memoir. Norris doesn't provide too much information about her screenwriting career where she worked with Woody Allen and Robert DeNiro, but does an excellent job of showing how, in spite of a terrible childhood, one can rise above it.
June 2, 2016
Interesting read, dark but there were times I laughed out loud. Gloria's father is depicted as horribly mentally abusive, his family never knew what to expect from him and he was constantly twisting around things that were done and said. Always putting them down. There was never any mention of physical or sexual abuse from the author, and her dad did go to bat for her in some instances. In the end, she did love her father, but hated him at the same time. The other story in the book is about this older girl named Susan who Gloria idolized and idealized. He life was tortured too and in the end, Gloria realized that her whole idea of Susan was constructed on very idealized, not based in reality perceptions. Well done memoir and the connection to NH and Colby Junior College where the character Susan attended (Colby-Sawyer now) was interesting.
June 5, 2016
In some ways it's hard to believe that this is a memoir and not a novel, because the characters and the plot seem so over the top. However, this is a true story of growing up within a family that is just barely getting by. The family is headed by Jimmy whose "occupation" is betting on horses, selling stolen merchandise and other less than legal scams. His wife is Shirley who married Jimmy just to get out of the country and from Canada to the U.S. The honeymoon with Jimmy doesn't last very long as she quickly learns his true nature. The story is told from the point of view of the youngest daughter, who is also the author of the book. She is very likable and you immediately find yourself rooting for her. I enjoyed reading this book--it was hard to put down.
October 14, 2017
I was reluctant to read this book as it was compared to The Glass Castle when recommended to me. I wasn't a big fan of that book so I held off. This is a similar subject but handled much more objectively and honestly in my opinion. I had never heard of Hank Piasecny or his daughter Susan and that made the book that much more compelling. I felt this book was a hard honest look at life in the projects and in a dysfunctional family. Yes it is about rising above circumstances but not in a self agrandizing way. It's humble and scary and open and I'm sure was pretty hard to put down on paper. I'm recommending it to my book club, all of whom really liked the Glass Castle, and am looking forward to the conversation.
December 21, 2015
I won this book in a Goodreads First Reads contest.
I really enjoyed this memoir. I loved that it was written in the language style the author used as a child. I loved how frank she was about her life and the people in it. I liked the dark humor and the tiny bit of love (a very tiny bit) that she shows she had for her father, a horribly abusive man, when she was growing up. That intense hate but need to please because he was her dad situation she is completely truthful about. It did not make her broken..it made her human to feel that way growing up in the family situation she did. She has come a long way since then and her story is both fascinating and sad. Defintely a good read.
I really enjoyed this memoir. I loved that it was written in the language style the author used as a child. I loved how frank she was about her life and the people in it. I liked the dark humor and the tiny bit of love (a very tiny bit) that she shows she had for her father, a horribly abusive man, when she was growing up. That intense hate but need to please because he was her dad situation she is completely truthful about. It did not make her broken..it made her human to feel that way growing up in the family situation she did. She has come a long way since then and her story is both fascinating and sad. Defintely a good read.
October 8, 2017
I probably would not have read this book but it was on a list of the two best books for each state. This memoir was the best nonfiction book for New Hampshire. I'm glad I did. What a read!
Set in Manchester, NH when Gloria is nine, we get an intimate picture of her family life. The internal voice in her head - goddamn this, goddamn that, the put-downs- is a replica of her horrible, vicious father, but Gloria is a survivor. She survives an unbelievable childhood. The book's description will give you the picture. To me, what made this a treasure to read was Gloria Norris' ability to capture that life through the eyes of her 9-year-old self.
Set in Manchester, NH when Gloria is nine, we get an intimate picture of her family life. The internal voice in her head - goddamn this, goddamn that, the put-downs- is a replica of her horrible, vicious father, but Gloria is a survivor. She survives an unbelievable childhood. The book's description will give you the picture. To me, what made this a treasure to read was Gloria Norris' ability to capture that life through the eyes of her 9-year-old self.
September 22, 2018
Wonderful gift of storytelling and character development. Thirty years ago,this book wouldn't have meant so much to me, but now that I reside in New Hampshire--have worked in Manchester for 22+ years, it has a lot more meaning. Gloria Norris is an amazing success story--fortunately her stubbornness worked in her favor. Amazing how her mind captured her childhood and adolescent years frame by frame. I grew up in NYC--and some of the characters she presented sounded familiar. I don't want to mention names or spoil anything. This is a must-read. I was totally engaged.
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