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A review by mariasimonetti
Welcome To Shirley by Kelly McMasters
5.0
Long Review - Especially for the author :)
I would like to start by saying it's funny how I found this book out of the blue. I was at the Friends of the Library sale at the Southampton Library in Southampton, NY - a place I frequent on my lunch break. I saw this book in the 'locals' section and it happens to be signed as well! The title 'SHIRLEY' had me thinking of my Grandma Shirley, but also Shirley - the town that neighbors mine.
I picked this book up by chance and immediately texted a picture to my best friend Kim who grew up in Shirley, NY! She now lives in Asheville, NC, but I knew this book would interest her. We met through a book in 1999 - she had won a contest to ask the author a question and it simply read 'Kimberlyn - Shirley, NY' ... because of the town Shirley (I knew this town simply because of BNL), I immediately emailed her and mentioned that I was not too far away from her and was a huge fan of the author. For reference, the book was Thoughts' by Tionne "TBoz" Watkins (TLC!) and the year was 1999; right around the time of AOL, so we ended up communicating a lot by email). I grew up and lived roughly 15 miles west of Shirley but had no problems visiting Shirley regularly to see my friend and her friends. Fast-forward 20 years later and I moved to Manorville living just under 10 miles away from BNL. It is crazy to think about the field trips I went on with my school at the time many of these fights were going on - I just had no clue at that age...
Hearing all of these stories about how Shirley was essentially created, the bungalows, the Italian immigrants, and how strip malls and random stores just kind of exist without a real Main Street helped to better understand my neighboring town.
I think Kelly McMasters wrote an outstanding memoir, one where you could understand her life as a child, the fun of the summer on Long Island, her experiences as a teenager, and getting in that 'teenager trouble' naming many places I frequented myself.
What was so beautiful about this story, was the fight that so many folks in that area had for their community. One part that stood out for me was the trading of people's lives for the sake of research. To kind of meet these people in Kelly's life and understand all the hardships they went through with cancer was so heartbreaking. What an amazing memoir - I did not want it to end.
Kelly, please do not stop writing. You have such a beautiful gift, and I cannot wait to read your most recent book. I purchased this book for my (still) very best friend, Kim, and also have shared it with my father and my cousin. They are battling to borrow it. I plan to take it out at the Center Moriches library and read it again while my dad is borrowing it! PS - They have two copies!
I would like to start by saying it's funny how I found this book out of the blue. I was at the Friends of the Library sale at the Southampton Library in Southampton, NY - a place I frequent on my lunch break. I saw this book in the 'locals' section and it happens to be signed as well! The title 'SHIRLEY' had me thinking of my Grandma Shirley, but also Shirley - the town that neighbors mine.
I picked this book up by chance and immediately texted a picture to my best friend Kim who grew up in Shirley, NY! She now lives in Asheville, NC, but I knew this book would interest her. We met through a book in 1999 - she had won a contest to ask the author a question and it simply read 'Kimberlyn - Shirley, NY' ... because of the town Shirley (I knew this town simply because of BNL), I immediately emailed her and mentioned that I was not too far away from her and was a huge fan of the author. For reference, the book was Thoughts' by Tionne "TBoz" Watkins (TLC!) and the year was 1999; right around the time of AOL, so we ended up communicating a lot by email). I grew up and lived roughly 15 miles west of Shirley but had no problems visiting Shirley regularly to see my friend and her friends. Fast-forward 20 years later and I moved to Manorville living just under 10 miles away from BNL. It is crazy to think about the field trips I went on with my school at the time many of these fights were going on - I just had no clue at that age...
Hearing all of these stories about how Shirley was essentially created, the bungalows, the Italian immigrants, and how strip malls and random stores just kind of exist without a real Main Street helped to better understand my neighboring town.
I think Kelly McMasters wrote an outstanding memoir, one where you could understand her life as a child, the fun of the summer on Long Island, her experiences as a teenager, and getting in that 'teenager trouble' naming many places I frequented myself.
What was so beautiful about this story, was the fight that so many folks in that area had for their community. One part that stood out for me was the trading of people's lives for the sake of research. To kind of meet these people in Kelly's life and understand all the hardships they went through with cancer was so heartbreaking. What an amazing memoir - I did not want it to end.
Kelly, please do not stop writing. You have such a beautiful gift, and I cannot wait to read your most recent book. I purchased this book for my (still) very best friend, Kim, and also have shared it with my father and my cousin. They are battling to borrow it. I plan to take it out at the Center Moriches library and read it again while my dad is borrowing it! PS - They have two copies!