Stacy Halloran has lived most of her life in 1950s-era housing development Arboria Park. But her beloved neighborhood may not survive much longer.
Despite her parents' entreaties to "stay in the yard where it's safe," the Park is where young Stacy roams in quest of "real life." Through her wanderings, she learns about the area's agricultural history; meets people from backgrounds different than her own; watches her siblings develop interracial and same-sex relationships; helps launch the local punk-rock scene; and finally, settles as a wife and mother. As the neighborhood declines (along with her relationship with her mother), Stacy considers moving on to rescue herself and her daughter. But then a massive highway project threatens the ever-resilient Park--and it's Stacy's task to rally family, friends, and neighbors to save it.
Despite her parents' entreaties to "stay in the yard where it's safe," the Park is where young Stacy roams in quest of "real life." Through her wanderings, she learns about the area's agricultural history; meets people from backgrounds different than her own; watches her siblings develop interracial and same-sex relationships; helps launch the local punk-rock scene; and finally, settles as a wife and mother. As the neighborhood declines (along with her relationship with her mother), Stacy considers moving on to rescue herself and her daughter. But then a massive highway project threatens the ever-resilient Park--and it's Stacy's task to rally family, friends, and neighbors to save it.
#FirstLine - The moment I learned about the power of place and the world beyond home, I was crouching on the cement curb in front of our house on Arbor Circle.
REVIEW: This book is about what it means to be part of a community. Whether good or bad you play a part in the bigger picture, as do your neighbors, because that is what community is. It is this mix of people within the community that makes it feel like home. A home worth fighting for. With heart and clever characters Wall takes you into the 50's where you will feel part of the era, as well as part of Stacy's family and the community in which she lives. There is something for everyone in this book. It will make you long for days past and cherish every moment moving forward. This was a strong debut from a very promising new writer.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Kate Tyler Wall is managing editor of an American history journal in Philadelphia. She grew up in a 1950s-era housing development in Dover, Delaware, which inspired lifelong interests in music, history, exploring, and the power of place. She studied political science, journalism, and American history at the University of Delaware. She now lives in another 1950s tract house in Newark, Delaware with “suburban ecologist” husband Roland Wall and beagle-basset buddy Pilot. At age fifty she started writing fiction and roaming the East Coast, becoming a "famed punk rock attendee" (Punknews, 2014).
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