“Brooklyn ’76 tells the story of an Italian American family and neighborhood struggling with change on one explosive day – our Bicentennial.”
Legend traces my love of stories and storytelling to when, at four years of age, I received my first comic book, the latest newsstand issue of Superman, as a gift. To my parents’ dismay, one comic led to another and another. Soon after, television reruns dug their hooks into me. Batman, The Monkees, The Courtship of Eddie’s Father—it didn’t matter; I loved them all. Before long, I moved on to The 4:30 Movie every weekday—especially during Planet of the Apes and Godzilla weeks. Saturdays meant watching professional wrestling and kung fu films, while Sunday mornings were spent with the Bowery Boys, followed by Abbott and Costello. And all the while, whenever possible, I read. The Black Stallion and Satan, Dune, and Fortress of Solitude are among my literary inspirations. I graduated from the Pennsylvania State University with a BA in English. After a brief two-decade-long pit stop in corporate America, I earned an MFA in creative writing from Fairleigh Dickinson University, where I began to work on my first novel. Thoroughly Brooklyn born and bred, I now live in Westfield, New Jersey, with my wonderful wife, Talia, and his amazing children, Anya and Eli.
My debut novel, Brooklyn ’76, tells the story of an Italian American family and neighborhood struggling with change on one explosive day – our nation’s Bicentennial. It’s a funny, dark, and unsentimental family drama set against a working-class neighborhood on the brink of transformation. My previous work has appeared in the East Bay Review, Berfrois, NonBinary Review, Gravel, the Absurdist, the Rappahannock Review, Ovunque Siamo, and Broken Cord: An Anthology of Writing About Alzheimer’s and Dementia.
Just to add, great Italian American actor, Vincent Gardenia, was my cousin— my paternal grandfather and his mom were siblings. While my goal is just to tell honest and genuine stories to the best of my ability and effort, I’m hoping to also revive some artistic credentials for my branch of the family. It was fun to turn on an episode of All in the Family and see a relative.
In addition to the inspiration, creation, and themes of the novel, some items I’d love to speak of are:
Anthony Ausiello - Author Page, Westfield, New Jersey. 94 likes · 75 talking about this. My debut novel, Brooklyn ’76, is available for pre-order everywhere books are sold.
