Growing Up with Bootleggers Gamblers and Pigeons

By Patrick M. Canfield

No Synopsis Available.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0963395203
• ISBN13: 9780963395207
• Release Date: January 1993
• Publisher: Interlude
• Length: 288 Pages
• Weight: 1.10 lbs.

Customer Reviews

Insightful Stories of a Sadly Bygone Era.

Patrick Canfield's lovings tribute to his hometown and Schuykill County childhood will be enjoyed by anyone whose ancestors hailed from the coal regions of Pennsylvania. The region was raucious and wild, with immigrants striving to survive and mobsters, politicans and gamblers to rival a Prohibition movie. It was fun for me to find two descriptions of ancestors of mine and to get a feel what life was like for the miners. Warning if you are an animal rights nut: the author is unapolgetic about the enjoyment of pigeon shooting competitions and the characters who made up the sport. In sum, the book actually makes the depression era coaltowns seem like a pisser of a place to grow up.

The Joy Of Growing Up In Your Home Town

A very enjoyable read. This book describes the time of a boy's youth growing up in a town he loves. He reminisces about his fondest memories from this time of his youth and also the era in which he grew up. If you grew up in this mining region of Pennsylvania, this book is a great find. There are abundant descriptions of this region and wonderful stories about the people who lived and made a living during the early half of this century.

Good look at early 20th century Schuylkill county.

I enjoyed reading about the amusing antics of a preteen gang growing up in a brawling Pennsylvania mining town during the Great Depression. How they stole pigeons out of the church tower and sipped the alter wine, their amusing conflicts with their arch enemies the Lithuanians, better known as the Brollies, and the stories of life in a parochial school and high school. The section dealing with the hatred between the Irish and Lithuanians leading to the riot of 1929 was most interesting. I also enjoyed the section following the life of "Butts" Canfield and his teenage buddies who loved the life of the pool hall, gambling, dancing and tipping a few beers rather than follow the dictates of the nuns who would prefer that they take music lessons and lead the good life. Reading about the great pigeon matches, often hilarious and bloody, gave me an insight to the laid back, hard drinking life style of the Pennsylvania Coal Region. Stories of working on the WPA, fixed boxing matches, life in high school during those turbulent days gave me many laughs. It's an easy read.

Good look at early 20th century Schuylkill county.

I enjoyed reading about the amusing antics of a preteen gang growing up in a brawling Pennsylvania mining town during the Great Depression. How they stole pigeons out of the church tower and sipped the alter wine, their amusing conflicts with their arch enemies the Lithuanians, better known as the Brollies, and the stories of life in a parochial school and high school. The section dealing with the hatred between the Irish and Lithuanians leading to the riot of 1929 was most interesting. I also enjoyed the section following the life of "Butts" Canfield and his teenage buddies who loved the life of the pool hall, gambling, dancing and tipping a few beers rather than follow the dictates of the nuns who would prefer that they take music lessons and lead the good life. Reading about the great pigeon matches, often hilarious and bloody, gave me an insight to the laid back, hard drinking life style of the Pennsylvania Coal Region. Stories of working on the WPA, fixed boxing matches, life in high school during those turbulent days gave me many laughs. It's an easy read.