My Play Ground-The Bronx

Marano grew up during the 1940s in Country Club Spencer Estates in the midst of the Bronx as a member of a group of boys fondly nicknamed "the Four Amigos." Marano's brother Frank, their next-door neighbor Willie Jr., and their friend John, also known as Butchie, were thick as thieves during both good times and bad. Marano begins retelling his life story with chapters about his rambunctious childhood that include entertaining tales about cap guns with ammunition that could be purchased at any candy store; his Remington truck bike, black with chrome trim, found next to the Christmas tree in 1956; and his first job as a soda jerk.

This delightful collection of anecdotes will spark a desire in baby boomers everywhere to reflect warmheartedly on the joys of their own childhoods, their old neighborhoods, and the young friends who were once such an important part of their young lives.