A Song for Mary: An Irish-American Memory

by Dennis Smith

Growing up in the rough-and-tumble streets of New York City in the 1940s and 50s, Dennis Smith was a dirt-poor, Irish-Catholic without a father. Told in a first-person narrative, this powerful odyssey depicts a young man's coming of age in a confusing world.

Genres: Nonfiction, Biography, Ireland, Memoir, Irish Literature, Biography Memoir, American

332 pages, Kindle Edition

First published February 1, 1999

About the author

During his 18 years as a New York City firefighter, Dennis Smith developed a profound respect for the professionalism of the firefighters, police officers, EMTs, and nurses with whom he worked in the more than 40 alarms his engine company responded to every day. He witnessed their willingness to give of themselves in the course of their duty. His experiences in the fire service have been immortalized in his books, most notably "Report from Engine Co. 82," which became an immediate New York Times bestseller, sold 3 million copies, and was translated into 13 languages.

In 2001, Dennis responded to the attack on the World Trade Center, arriving there just as the second building fell. He stayed for 57 consecutive days, first in rescue work and then in recovery. The following year, he wrote “Report from Ground Zero,” which also rose to the top of the bestseller lists.

Dennis has spent half of his life in the emergency service and the other half writing books. His experience and reputation make him powerfully and uniquely able to represent the interests and needs of emergency professionals and departments. His career as firefighter, best-selling author, magazine publisher, business leader, and director of important youth service and emergency-service not-for-profit organizations provides him with a sound point of view about what is needed to make the world better and more connected.

Dennis Smith most recently founded an international social media website: www.wavepeg.com.

Reviews

[Jo-Ann Murphy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I had a hard time figuring our a rating for this book. I found the main character VERY annoying. I could understand why his mother hit him. I felt like hitting him. I gave it 5 stars because if the writing had not been so good, I would not have felt so much like hitting him.

As the author tells us in the beginning, this is written for his mother, Mary. It begins at her funeral. Then he chronicles their rough life as poor Irish in New York. His mother is doing her best raising her children alone with one "good" son who is no trouble and the author. I am sure if she knew half of what he wrote, she would have died a lot sooner. As it was, he added to her difficulties.

This is a hard story to read but I am sure it is very accurate to the time and place. I am glad the author finally began to grow up and turn his life around while his mother could still appreciate it.

[Velvetink · Rating 2 out of 5]

Glad I didn't pay full price for this. It could have been so much more than it was. It could have been like the classic "In America", "West Side Story" or "Angela's Ashes"; well actually any of the McCourt brothers books, or "Angels with Dirty Faces", yep, Mickey Rooney I can see as Dennis. I kept waiting for the spark, for something to make me cry, to make me laugh, something to take a hold of my beating heart and rip it from my chest. But no. It was lukewarm, tepid and mostly predictable, except where Dennis became a cowboy for a brief period, and there it could have veered off into Brokeback Mountain territory but it didn't. I couldn't really believe in the Irishness of it, - and I didn't learn anything I didn't already know about the Irish in America. Smith tried his best, it was his life, his memoir and he lived through tough times and learn't tough lessons before he got on the straight and narrow, to become someone people looked up to - but he should have employed a ghost writer. He's written several other books on firefighting maybe they have more spark.

I think I may have been a bit harsh with this review, for it is an interesting memoir of the 50's in New York, if you know nothing of that period.

1 of 25 books bought today for $10 (the lot).

loaned to pop

[Taleese Walsh · Rating 3 out of 5]

He had a good mother, and I learned lessons from her reading his book. I could empathize with her, but she has far more grace than I ever shall rouse.

[swaddle · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book because the setting is NYC and I love the city’s history. No, it didn’t really teach me anything new, but I didn’t expect that. It was about a kid growing up and like most families, not all the kids are perfect, and the author was honest about the fact he was the one with all the issues. He made stupid mistakes, he hung around with the wrong crowd, and he was disrespectful to his mom when he was a teenager. But through it all, he learned a ton, he kept loving his mom and brother, he grew up and found a great profession, and he has done way more with his life than a lot of people he grew up around thought he would or did. Classic NYC story and I thought it was great.

[Kelv · Rating 4 out of 5]

If I was to write a story I believe the style, structure, tempo would be exactly like this book.

A tough childhood story which is worth retelling - Dennis got lucky. When he started playing with H I could not see this ending well; the right people and choices, at the right time, pulled him back from the abyss.

While I was not intrigued so much by the story, it did grow on me as it got more desperate.

More forward story for Billy other than becoming a teacher would have been nice. So too some of the other characters i.e. Scarry, Frankie etc.

[Shirley · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting and heartfelt memoir. I initially gifted my father with this book shortly after it was published. My father was a volunteer fire chief and was a great fan of Dennis Smith's previous books. When my dad passed away in 2001, I found this book sitting on a table in his bedroom. Although the book had a bookmark in the front of the book, it appeared he had not yet read it. Or, maybe he had finished it. I took it home and it has been in a bookcase for 20 years. I read it as a remembrance of the 20yh anniversary of my dad's passing.

[Anthony Bracciante · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an amazing memoir of Dennis Smith's life growing up on welfare in a tenement near Sutton Place. His story is well told and spares no punches. How he survived an extremely troubled adolescence, which included substance abuse and brushes with the law, to become a NYC Firefighter is an amazing journey. Dennis was a proud Irish-American proud of his Catholic faith, family and ethnicity. Like many Irish-Americans he is a gifted writer and his books are well written. I have now read 3 of his books. I plan to read more of them.

[Abigail · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this Irish-American story and it felt familiar, especially regarding the Irish-Catholic heritage and dance lessons. I was glad Dennis made it out okay, there was a period of time where I didn't think he would. It was inspiring to see that literature is what brought him through, even though he hated school and did so poorly.

[Marilyn · Rating 3 out of 5]

These characters were likeable--a little raw at times. I found the writing quite engaging. That being said, it lacked the artistry of an Angela's Ashes.

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

it was hard for me to read. not because it was boring but rather because there was so much info I would have to chew in it awhile.

very well written, very detailed and yet so specific.

[Judy Terry · Rating 5 out of 5]

A jewel of a book

A great story about a young boy growing up Irish Catholic in the tenements on the east side in New York during the 40's and 50's.

[Karen Taylor · Rating 1 out of 5]

I could not finish this book.

[Clare Reid · Rating 3 out of 5]

I struggled with this book for the first half of it. It was an easy read ( small recounts) of a young boy’s life. However, the second half of this was a very good read and somewhat a page turner. It made me reflect on human nature, relationships and what really counts…….family and hope.

[J Schuerger · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great read, but...

This book is, by turns, poignant, funny, very realistic, and engaging. I was just surprised that it ended more abruptly than I expected. It was a book with great detail of the times, place, and the pacing of how a young boy matures year by year and as time goes on, how the changes it brings to him and his family affects how he views the world around him. I wanted a more detailed ending. Still, a very good read.

[Tammra · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sharon Murphy introduced me to this book and I loved it. It is an autobiography and I love to read about other people's lives. I especially like to read about experiences that are different from my own. Dennis Smith is a New York firefighter and has written many good books about that experience, the most notable being Ground Zero about Sept 11.
In this book he writes about his Irish-Catholic and poverty stricken upbringing in New York City. It is a tribute to his hard working and no-nonsense mother, Mary, who teaches him about his Irish heritage and pulls him along into adulthood. His father is mysteriously absent from the first of the book until Dennis learns what really happened to him. Throughout the story the reader gains a great appreciation for Mary and all she goes through to raise Dennis. I also liked that Dennis was quite a reader and read a lot of good quality literature as a boy. I know that made a difference in his life. At the end of the paperback edition of this book that I read there was also an essay by Dennis Smith titled On Reading. That was a treasure. It just added a great ending to a wonderful book.

[Paul J. Milazzo · Rating 5 out of 5]

So much to relate to

Having been raised Catholic and having gone to parochial grade school and high school, there was so much I could relate to in Dennis' story. I had a lot of the same type of nuns in the grades, and for most the discipline was tough. I also spent a few days standing in the corner facing the wall. My family is Sicilian. My grandparents immigrated around 1914. Though my grandpa on my father's side raised eleven children on a market produce stand, my own immediate family wasn't quite so poor. We started out in a government housing project, but ended up in a modest home, which I have no idea how my parents could purchase.
Anyway, I'm rambling. This story is so genuine, so honest and full of life lessons that it is hard to stop reading.

[Becky-Lynn Sturge · Rating 5 out of 5]

Life from another Perspective

Truth is my rating would have been a four star. Not tech savy it took over. An enjoyable insight with interesting rigors of a boy to manhood story. A not consistant reader following timelines was a bit rigorous at times.
Recommending this read is a definate. Especially to any boy or man that grew up without a father or any single Mom. Pearls of wisdom are offered to an open mind.

[Mary Moeller · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well told story of Irish, poor, Catholic Americans, and a boy growing up under these conditions. Felt empathy for the families, enjoyed the author's humor and "growing up"-on-the-wrong-side-of-town-stories. However, the book was a bit on the l-o-n-g side. Repetition interfered with story progress.

[Sharon Murphy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dennis Smith tells of his life growing up in New York City and the secret that is kept from him by his mother. It is a book that I would read again. His mother has such great wisdom and she tries to raise her sons with that attitude.

[Cheryl S. · Rating 4 out of 5]

The story of a young Irish American boy growing up poor on the streets of New York and of the mother who did her best to raise him to be a solid contibuting citizen. Told from the heart.

[Tfalcone · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good old Irish family memoire!

[Glenda · Rating 3 out of 5]

About fire fighting from my memory

[Fred]

It took most of the day to read it.
A coming of age book for an Irish-Catholic boy in New York City with only a mother and brother.

[Carol · Rating 3 out of 5]

Enjoyable read. donated

[Lu]

Irish-American memoir growing up in the 50's

[Marianne Fanning · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely loved it ... amazing!

[Printable Tire]

Gym audio book... not much to recommend here, though it is wistful and nostalgic, there's probably better examples of irishamericansploitation memoirs out there. Smith's voice is a little elfishly annoying but it's nice when he sings and apparently he did the music in the background.