{"product_id":"on-the-one-road-memoir-of-a-charlestown-townie-9781977281838","title":"On The One Road: Memoir of a Charlestown Townie","description":"When I turned twenty-five, my father wrapped his arm around my shoulder and pulled me close. Puffing on a cigarette, he took a sip from his beer and said, \"Well, young man, you made it--it's clear sailing from here.\"\u003cbr\u003e He was talking about surviving the streets of Charlestown during the turbulent 1970s and '80s. He knew what he was talking about. As the owner of a popular bar in the 1960s, my father had found himself in the middle of a violent gang war between Charlestown and Somerville's Winter Hill Gang--a conflict that left nearly sixty people dead over a decade. Many of those involved didn't live to see twenty-five.\u003cbr\u003e I didn't consider myself a \"wise guy\"--a gangster--but my father knew I was running with a large crowd and living fast. I survived, but just barely.\u003cbr\u003e Twenty-one days after I was born, President John F. Kennedy was assassinated. My childhood unfolded in the aftermath of the Irish gang wars; my teenage years were shaped by forced busing, bank robberies, the \"code of silence,\" and the distant but ever-present shadow of the IRA.\u003cbr\u003e Charlestown, Massachusetts--a proud, historic Irish American neighborhood in Boston--is just one square mile, a peninsula surrounded by the Mystic River, the Charles River, and Boston Harbor. It is home to the Bunker Hill Monument, marking the first major battle of the American Revolution, and the USS Constitution, the oldest commissioned warship in the United States Navy.\u003cbr\u003e Those of us born and raised there call ourselves \"Townies.\" It's a name worn with pride, fiercely protected across generations. In Charlestown, loyalty and tradition matter. Faith, country, and family are not just words--they are a way of life. We are the sons and daughters of the Greatest Generation--men and women who endured the Great Depression, fought in World War II, and returned home to build lives rooted in hard work and sacrifice. They were laborers at the Navy Yard, longshoremen on the docks, truck drivers, police officers, firefighters, mail carriers, and homemakers.\u003cbr\u003e For those of us who grew up there, the \"old neighborhood\" still lingers--a place where everyone knew your name, looked out for one another, and shared in life's simple joys. It's a world that is fading from the Boston we once knew.\u003cbr\u003e In recent years, Hollywood has cast Charlestown in a familiar light--gritty, dangerous, and steeped in crime. Films like The Town, Monument Ave., and Mystic River, along with the television series City on a Hill, have focused on bank robbers, mobsters, and violence.\u003cbr\u003e And yes, we had our share of criminals. I knew some of them growing up.\u003cbr\u003e But that's not the whole story.\u003cbr\u003e Charlestown was also a safe, vibrant, and tight-knit community--one built on loyalty, laughter, and resilience. This is the other side of the Town, told by someone who lived it.\u003cbr\u003e Come with me into the shadow of the Bunker Hill Monument and experience a neighborhood defined by family, friendship... and, at times, felons.\u003cbr\u003e --Edward J. O'Connell\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAuthor:\u003c\/b\u003e Edward J. O'Connell\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e Outskirts Press\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 10\/27\/2026\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 352\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eBinding Type:\u003c\/b\u003e Paperback\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 1.04lbs\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSize:\u003c\/b\u003e 9.00h x 6.00w x 0.79d\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN:\u003c\/b\u003e 9781977281838\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAbout the Author\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eO'Connell, Edward J.:\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e - Edward J. O'Connell was born and raised in Charlestown, the oldest neighborhood in the City of Boston, a block away from the Bunker Hill Monument. He now lives with his wife Darlene in a coastal town on Massachusetts' South Shore. On The One Road-Memoir of A Charlestown Townie is his debut book.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eThis title is not returnable\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e","brand":"booksdeli.com","offers":[{"title":"Edward J. O'Connell \/ Paperback \/ English","offer_id":67804810608797,"sku":"9781977281838","price":33.22,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0619\/5648\/9373\/files\/img_e833ae29-4366-407f-80cc-7a7f8c641390.jpg?v=1794383648","url":"https:\/\/booksdeli.com\/products\/on-the-one-road-memoir-of-a-charlestown-townie-9781977281838","provider":"booksdeli.com","version":"1.0","type":"link"}