On My Way Here

From the author of Crusty Bits of Scrapple: comes a new volume that celebrates his journey from the urban-melting-pot of north Jersey, across decades, continents, relationships and kitchens. The volume begins with an ode of gratitude for the many diverse confluences and influences that advanced the author on his journey. He follows with a grouping of noir-ish-memoir-ish pieces portraying scenes from his upbringing in north Jersey; loving, frank recollections of his hard scuffling parents; vivid chronicles of "travels" taken both geographically and internally, and dramatizations of moments of epiphany, and insights encountered and acquired along the way. The book's overall design might be compared to a patchwork quilt, or a jig saw puzzle of oddly shaped pieces that gradually reveal the larger picture, or a collage of different size images that collectively provide a vivid, if fragmented impression of a large portrait.

Throughout we find a wry sense of humor, eye-opening frankness, and sober revelations of hard learned life lessons.