Paczki Day

by Bob Dombrowski

This book is a mix of stories about growing up in Detroit, going to Catholic school, and the Polish people in the fifties and sixties. The author tried his best to present everything in this book accurately despite not having a research staff like the famous writers have. He only had himself, his computer, his memory, a big pile of books, and note cards that he painstakingly used to put this story together. As a fireman, one of the things the author learned was that it takes three things to make a air, fuel, and heat. Remove one, and you can't have a fire. He believes that it takes three things to make everything. Similar to making fire, there are three things that it took to make this the city of Detroit, the Catholic Church, and Polish ancestry. If you have one or two or maybe all three of these things, you may like this story. So if your mom wore a babushka, if nostrovia is your toast, if you had a last name that kids made fun of, or if you grew up reading your catechism while looking at church steeples and smokestacks, maybe this book is for you. Bob Dombrowski also wrote, 38 A Detroit Firefighter's Story.

206 pages, Paperback

Published October 31, 2019

Reviews

[Lori · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’m not Polish or Catholic and I didn’t grow up in Detroit in the 50’s and 60’s. But I have friends who are and did and I enjoyed this book very much. I admire Polish people for their family and community focused culture. Our favorite Polish restaurant treats everyone like family and everyone knows everyone. Would like to have read more about his experiences during the riots but I think he wanted to keep things positive. Sure wish we still lived in a time when kids could roam the city at night and when they got home the front door was open and the light was on.

[Darla James · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very entertaining book! Growing up a Polish Catholic in the 60s brought back a lot of wonderful memories. The streets, the stores, the schools, the priests and nuns; I relived my childhood living in Dearborn/Detroit.
A great read!

[M · Rating 2 out of 5]

Thank you for the small history lesson. The recipes at the back look "easy peasy". Could have done without some of the derogatory comments. Chalking it up to the author's "generation". Also, the plural of pierog is pierogi, NOT pierogies! The title should be Pączki, NOT Paczki!

[Liz · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved this easy read. Having grown up in the Polish neighborhood discussed brought back so many wonderful memories! The west side of Detroit was an amazing place to grow up in the 60-70s. 7811 Brace will always be my home. Thank you!