Not for Nothing: Glimpses Into a Jersey Girlhood - (VIA Folios) by Kathy Curto (Paperback)
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<p/><br></br><p><b> About the Book </b></p></br></br>"In her tender and evocative debut memoir, Curto, who teaches creative writing at Montclair State University, presents 'glimpses of time, reimagined.' These anecdotes, strung together to recreate her New Jersey childhood and adolescence in the 1970s and '80s, draw the reader into the world of a hardworking Italian-American family. The youngest of four children, Curto is often silenced by her parents. Her father, who runs a Texaco gas station, is moody and sometimes volatile; her mother argues with him, and for a time they separate and she works at a Laundromat; Curto's older brother, meanwhile, becomes addicted to an assortment of drugs, causing turmoil in the family. The author beautifully recreates the sensations of childhood: touching the soft skin on her mother's upper arm, catching the scent of her father's cologne mixed with gasoline and grease, and experiencing her first kiss ('The music stops. He kisses me but misses my mouth. Grape soda on my chin'). As she gets older, she becomes increasingly aware of her family's failings: the outside office at the gas station is neat and clean, she observes, but the inside office, like her family, is stained with ashes, sauce, coffee, and, 'if you look closer: blood, sweat, and tears.' This slim, quiet story of girlhood is a gem; Curto creates a vivid picture of the confusion and magic of childhood."--Publishersweekly.com.<p/><br></br><p><b> Book Synopsis </b></p></br></br>Literary Nonfiction. Memoir. Essays. Italian Studies. NOT FOR NOTHING transported me. Curto's gritty specificity with coming-of-age memories is humourous, gripping, and thought-provoking. NOT FOR NOTHING takes on the beauty, pain, tenderness, cruelty, passion, and love that often coexist in a jumble of childhood and family.--Ann Imig<p/><br></br><p><b> Review Quotes </b></p></br></br><br><p>"'Not for Nothing' transported me. Curto's gritty specificity with coming-of-age memories is humours, gripping, and thought-provoking. 'Not for Nothing' takes on the beauty, pain, tenderness, cruelty, passion, and love that often coexist in a jumble of childhood and family."<br /> --Ann Imig</p><p> </p><p>"Take the next exit, Rhonda James. Go find yourself another gig, Snooki. There's a new author, the genuine article, motoring up and down the Jersey Turnpike in this stunning memoir: poignant, gritty, charming, heartbreaking glimpses into growing up in the real Garden State, not some made-for-TV version of it. Kathy Curto is one smart cookie. She is also a flawless writer. And oh that voice, that drop-dead mesmerizing voice."<br /> --Steven Lewis</p><p> </p><p>"In this tense and tender memoir, Curto dishes up her family's crazy, moody love like rich, red Italian gravy. Sometimes platters of it smash against the wall; sometimes warms bowls are savored on a lap. Too often, the plate is empty--with devastating consequences. But the reader feasts. Curto has a sharp eye for the telling detail, a sharp ear for the telling phrase, and a fresh and loving voice for the telling of it all. Mangia Bene!"<br /> --Irene O'Garden</p><br>
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