A Clean Street's a Happy Street is a Bronx memoir both powerful and moving. A heart-breaking tale seen through the eyes of a boy who struggles to hold on to a dream while dealing with a mentally ill mother, a drunk absent father, too many siblings and too little money… A hard knock life transformed into art.

Reviews:

from the publisher:
A Clean Street 's a Happy Street is a coming of age story. These snapshots, a series of vignettes, paint a world of childhood heartache. McSherry's desire to become a writer is stifled by a myriad of obstacles. It is a story of survival, a fight to pursue one's dreams in spite of oneself and one's surroundings. In this intimate autobiography that reads at times like fiction, McSherry invites us into his life and we suffer and endure along with him. We laugh to avoid crying as young James describes with matter-of-factness the world into which he was born. In the end, we are left with the strength of love and commitment, however futile, as the strands that hold this fragmented family together.

"To say McSherry has lived a 'hard knock' life is an understatement, but the Lehman High School teacher and Brio Award winner has crafted a Bronx version of Angela's Ashes that resonates with hope, wit, and perseverance." -Derek Woods, host of the television program, Bronx Magazine

Clockwise from top left - Joseph, Nanny, Tommy, Aunt Helen, me and Sheila - A family gathering 1972

Mom and dad cutting the cake on their wedding day. This is one of the only photos I have of my dad.