"Everyone has to grow up sometime and everyone has to grow up somewhere and I am delighted that I did it in
the Fifties
and in
the Beach
." Keith Black, who was born in 1947 provides a sparkling narrative about what it was like to be a child during
the 50's in the Beach
area of Toronto at a time when the streets teemed with children.
As we watch the children play and roam far from home, we also meet some of the residents, shop in some of the long-forgotten stores, dine in the restaurants, and remember some surprising events such as a blazing gun battle on Queen Street and the year everyone received updated appliances.
Even if you are not familiar with the neighbourhood, there is something here for you. As Keith says in the Introduction, "if you remember
mello rolls
and
Murray Westgate
, it doesn't really matter where you lived". Or
Chum Charts
, or
The Yummy Man
Al Boliska
Nash Metropolitans
cap pistols
The Happy Gang
. And the list goes on.
BOOM.
A book not just for
Baby Boomers
, but also for their kids and grandkids as they try to understand what it was that molded this fascinating but often peculiar generation.