Confessions of a Bar Brat: Growing Up in Rosendale, New York: A Memoir

by Judith a Boggess

Overview

Narrated by a young girl growing up in the coarsest, most hell-raising bar on Main Street, Rosendale, NY in the early 50s, Confessions of a Bar Brat, is an unforgettable memoir of a girl's day-to-day living with the effects of overt and covert abuse, sexual abuse, and parental neglect. The story is told in a six to 12 year old colloquial dialect unflinchingly and honestly; it's about the capacity of the human spirit to endure, to bloom, and to see humor in chaos.

The Rosendale Theatre is where she internalizes the actions of strong feminine movie role models, and learns to reject the influence of drunken antics of her mother, not fear the physical threats of violence by her father, and to question the dogma of the Catholic Church. After years of avoidance, an ironic epiphany frees her from a "mortal sin," and sets her on a path of self-actualization.

The memoir is very visual, enhanced by years of movie going. It is peppered with bawdy barroom scenes, salty language, and redneck hard-drinking humor. This contrasts with the 40-50s mentions of actors, their latest movies, and the music of these times. Many historical references to village businesses and their owners complete the scene of the child's refreshing viewpoint of growing up in Rosendale.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781944037666
Publisher:	Epigraph Publishing
Publication date:	05/12/2017
Pages:	424
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 0.94(d)

About the Author

Judith A. Boggess, MSC, is a writer, irreverent, sardonic award winning poet, artist in oils and in Native American giclee's. Confessions of a Bar Brat was inspired by an addiction to films that began at age six, when the Rosendale Theatre became her babysitter every night to keep her out of the family bar. Her writing is very visual, with an emphasis on dialogue and dramatic tension. Boggess is a spiritual counselor/clergy & art instructor. She is an active member of the Association of Native Americans of the Hudson Valley and known as Grandmother Judith Laughing Owl, Keeper of the Women's Drum. She teaches Native drumming & singing, and participates in ANA performances keeping the Native American heritage, dance and songs alive. In her spare time, she writes & paints. Boggess resides with her husband, Drew, Marlow Kitty, & Miakoda Westie, in the Catskills, NY, near Ticetonyk Mountain.

Editorial Reviews

“An engrossing, engaging trip through a young girl’s challenging ‘50s childhood. She exposes her secret self which exposes our secrets...the multiple abuses, the anger, the insights of love and hate...all beautifully expressed in the vernacular of the ‘50s. Full color, vivid writing which carries us seamlessly into this human life. Worth reading!”

—Ursula Zorika, MA, Special Ed., Adjunct SUNY New Paltz, Voracious Reader

“Confessions of a Bar Brat is a must read into appreciating the charm and richness of life in Rosendale in the late 40s to early 50s. The book entertains and importantly breathes life into Main Street, its peoples, and its businesses from days gone by; it is a valuable piece of living history and social commentary.” —Bill Brooks, Rosendale Town Historian, Rosendale, New York

From the Publisher

2018-02-20
A debut memoir, told from a child's perspective, that focuses on life at a small-town bar.Boggess (née Cherny) and her family lived above Reid's Hotel & Bar in the industrial town of Rosendale, New York, in the early 1950s. Her parents both worked in the bar, where she often did her elementary school homework before going up to bed. But they didn't just serve alcohol, the author says; they also imbibed it, which fueled increasingly bitter fights between them. Boggess loved animals, movies, and playing with neighbors "Porky" and Bobby Ann Rosenkranse. She also kept her eyes and ears open, resulting in vibrant descriptions in this memoir—of her mother putting on a girdle, for example, or her father managing to get free vacuum cleaners from salesmen. Holidays help to mark the passage of time in memorable Thanksgiving and Christmas scenes. The dialogue and inner monologues of the author, complete with period slang and cursing, are first-rate, giving every character's personality its own flavor. For instance, Boggess effectively captures her own 7-year-old reluctance to attend mass on Easter: "Oh, no. Here goes Father Mulry with the freakin' frankincense." The carefree innocence of these early childhood reminiscences changes, however, when the author reveals that she was repeatedly sexually abused by an unnamed bar patron, who would enter her unlocked apartment, where she was alone, at night. The trauma caused her to lose sleep and struggle at school, she says; then, one night, the man came into the apartment when Bobby Ann was sleeping over. Bobby Ann informed her own mother of the terrible incident; the author's father then made sure that the apartment was locked at night, which put a stop to the assaults—though not to the traumatic memories. Although the book is overlong, the ending, in 1955, still feels sudden, and an epilogue gives minimal detail about the author's later life. The author also occasionally jarringly switches between past and present tense. However, the use of a child's point of view is convincing, and the quantity—and quality—of the memories here are impressive.Vivid recollections from a difficult childhood.

Kirkus Reviews