Book Review: Brooklyn '76

The Agnello family wakes Bicentennial morning to the sound of fireworks. Outside their apartment, block party preparations are already underway. Paulie, husband and father, has been out on strike with his union and is desperate to make ends meet. Dee, wife and mother, is overprotective of her children and a stern judge of character, particularly when it comes to Paulie. Tony, the dutiful elder son who is fast coming of age, now obsesses over his first girlfriend and stands ready to defy his parents to spend the Fourth with her. Alex, the younger son, still sees the world through innocent eyes, a perspective unlikely to survive the day.

As the neighborhood celebrates, a string of public missteps drives the family apart, forcing each Agnello to face their own insecurities and regrets. At nightfall, the fireworks extravaganza draws the scattered family back together-but celebration soon turns into tragedy, and one life is left hanging in the balance. Funny, dark, and unsentimental, Brooklyn '76 is an urgent family drama set against the backdrop of a working-class neighborhood-and a country-on the brink of transformation.

Brooklyn '76, the debut novel by Anthony Ausiello, will be published February 20, 2024. Girl Friday Productions provided an early galley for review.

I instantly could relate to this author's story, having grown up in an Italian family in the 70's (though I was living on the far end of the state from Ausiello). I remember the excitement surrounding America's 200th birthday as well as extended family activities. In so many ways, this was like going back home again.

I like the way we are presented with the key characters - the four Agnello family members. I also like the way Ausiello built out the world around them - with extended family, co-workers, friends, etc. My gut instinct suggests to me that this story has some autobiographical roots from the author's own life growing up at the time. I say that because everything comes across as very organic - to how people talk, act, etc.

One touch I especially liked: the elderly aunt Zizi only speaks Italian so I had to use an online translator for her dialogue. I appreciated that it was not automatically translated for the reader, giving an extra bonus for a little effort on the reader's part.

All in all, I really enjoyed Brooklyn '76 a lot. While it was a self-contained, day-in-the-life snapshot of a family, this is a group of characters I would welcome a revisit with again should Ausiello decide to do a sequel.