“...a moving and intense memoir…Maron’s ultimate take-away is poignant: The past is like a cemetery; we can visit if we want or we can abandon it and let the weeds grow. But whatever mysteries lie beneath those headstones, we can’t let them kill our dreams.”

“...Hearing about Asbury Park & Brooklyn and how things worked in the factories was really enlightening. You can tell that Stan is a guy who wears his heart on his sleeve. This would be a great play...”

“I loved this book! As I was reading, I felt like I was with Maron while he was driving a cab, working as a garment worker, and peddling his wares on New York City street corners; I was with him in the Catskills where he worked as a bus boy and waiter and in the pool rooms in Brooklyn. Maron’s early struggle as a Jewish kid in Brooklyn was often painful to read as he tried to find a place he could call home. Luckily he met people who were kind to him and also many colorful (some charming) characters. But on the whole, his early life was really tough and I think most people in his situation would just give up. Not Maron. His book is a story of strength and courage in the face of great obstacles.”

“This is a truly “from the heart” type of book. It chronicles the life of someone who made his way in the world despite his many challenges, and reading it gives one a sense of great hope as well ascompassion. Stan Maron clearly had a lot of struggles in life and reading about his early childhood experiences was heart-wrenching. The inspiration comes from his character and hearing his honest self-assessment. He thrived despite the odds, and the story is a beautiful triumph of the human spirit.”

“How do our personalities become distorted under a mercenary, competitive, unequal society? Then how does somebody claw his way out — not into the 1% but into a centered, thoughtful and meaningful life? Stanley Maron’s book tell his remarkable story of a life lived with a terrible memory that pummeled him into one disaster after another while holding on to an ethic all his own. The netherworld characters he stumbles across are described in grimy detail, including his foster mother, cardshark and poolshark buddies, Army comrades, peddlers and crooks. Each chapter ends with him going off into an unknown future, only to find him landing on his butt in another job in the next chapter. At the end of his fascinating journey, we find him a college teacher. It happens in an Old New York that was his intimate friend. A page-turner of a book!”