Books by Jerry

Papa, a baby boomer, leaves a fun book of creative short stories for his descendants on life during the second half of the twentieth century. Each trip back in time is a stand-alone memoir based in truth, laced with imagination, and ends in some reflection and perspective. This grandfather takes the reader on a journey from growing up in a vibrant, ethnic neighborhood in Cleveland's inner city, through an extraordinary adolescence, to raising his own family in the suburbs.Excerpts:... Italians have this extraordinary reaction to drama and tragedy. They get angry before they can show compassion. I'm sure it has everything to do with the initial adrenaline rush, but I learned to wait it out since it never lasted long. I knew doting would soon follow. It always did, and it's no wonder that I now exhibit this same trait as an adult. ... We had a saying in my old Italian neighborhood. "Fool me once, shame on you, fool me twice, I'll kick your ass."... This was no church club of boys I was joining. It was a gang of boys who just happened to be in a church club. And I wanted in! ... I stopped behind my cousin with my heart pounding in my chest, and rightfully so. Getting my ass kicked was not on this evening's agenda. I remained silent as the situation deteriorated in front of me.... Ordinarily, I cringe whenever I hear my non-Italian friends are serving me their homemade pasta - only because my family has been cooking sauce every Sunday since the invention of the tomato.... He stood there motionless for a moment as if he were making an important decision. "Here, take this," he said, and then shoved something into my hand. I looked down at what I was holding. It was a blue steel handgun.

Alcatraz: The Charles Manson Connection is a unique historical research study combining the worlds most famous prison with one of its most infamous criminals. The work explores the extensive history of Alcatraz Island beginning with the islands discovery in 1775. The book provides a synopsis of history with emphasis on the period when Alcatraz Island was a United States Federal Penitentiary from January 1, 1934 through March 21, 1963. Incorporated within the writings is a biography of Charles Manson specific to his intriguing, uncanny, and unexpected association with Alcatraz Island. Alcatraz: The Charles Manson Connection is a dynamic presentation of Alcatraz Island and Charles Manson as never revealed before.

Through it all, two factors emerge: One--Paul questions the repetition he experiences, labeling it boring travelogue. Two--mysterious individuals constantly follow him, especially an eye-patched Mr. Nemesis. And even the years-old Titanic dry dock in Belfast looms large during the breathtaking closing chapters.Filled with authentic information about religion, crime, and Napoleon Bonaparte, in addition to details about current scientific findings, Discovery is a book for both entertainment and learning.