Mary-Ann Tirone Smith

My goal of reading older books I've accumulated over many years continues with this memoir/true crime book. Tirone Smith grew up in Connecticut during the 1950s, a time when people had no fear of leaving their doors unlocked. Her prose is very readable and full of humor, and her choice of using present tense gives her story a timeless feel.

Two things make this more than a simple memoir. First is the challenge of living with an autistic brother at a time when the condition was poorly show more understood. Second is the murder of her fifth grade classmate at the hands of a pedophile and the lasting effect that horror had on Tirone Smith's life. Together, these two things elevate a story of childhood innocence into something more memorable. I'm glad I finally got around to reading it. show less

Wonderful memoir that drew me in right from the first paragraph. Serious subjects (murder, rape, autism, death penalty) dealt with in a sensitive fashion. Despite some somber themes, Smith made me smile on more than one occasion. As a long-time resident of Connecticut, it was fun to read about places, people, and events that have been part of my life for more than forty-five years. Maybe a little long when it came to the police investigation/trial. Loved it!

It was hard to get into this book. The pacing felt a little slow, and there were a lot of religious discussions that seemed to go on to long. I did like the main character Poppy, and her assistant Delby. I would like to read more about them. The story of Rona Leigh was a little too unbelievable and seemed to serve only as a reason to debate the death penalty and the religious redemption of prisoners. The author seemed to have a low opinion of Texas too. The second half the story started to show more pick up, but it was a little far fetched that Poppy went into the religious compound. I can't see any respected law enforcement officer acting like she did. show less

This was a well-written story in a somewhat unique format -- part memoir, part true crime -- but it worked. The author tells of her years as a young girl growing up in Connecticut in the 1950's with a somewhat eccentric family, an autistic brother (who at the time was not identified as such), and a serial sexual predator/killer within their midst. She interweaves true crime facts with personal anecdotes very effectively into an easy-to-read, yet very interesting memoir. I very much enjoyed show more this one, and only regret that I listened to the abridged audio as opposed to the entire unabridged story, as I really wasn't ready for this one to end. show less