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Providing a fair and accurate depiction of life in Shirley, NY required the author to have been alive and aware of her surroundings at the time the town was stood up. Her depiction of Shirley is similar to establishing a scathing critique of the Bronx circa 1960s when it was on the decline and only a shadow of its former self. Shirley was, in its heyday, a Normam Rockwell town. A place of quiet and tranquility. A great place, in fact, to raise a family. A town of simple wants and needs nestled near the Atlantic. Lazy summer days sun bathing at Shirley beach,and later when the Smith Point bridge was constructed, along a beautiful strip of Fire Island. Summer evenings catching a burger or two at Skippy's before heading into the Shirley Drive-In to catch a Cinemascope main feature. Winters of significantly more peace and quiet. Townsfolk who took deep pride in their community, many of whom were recent city transplants taking true delight in small town living. One could go on about Shirley at a time when its founder was present. Then again, one could portray the town in an entirely different light, after Mr. Shirley had passed. When it was overrun in the early 1970s by folks with a limited to non-existent sense of community, essentially destroying the small town integrity that Shirley once enjoyed. I have no issue with the author's description of life in that area as she knew it. The problem is, she has no idea what the town was truly like in its prime. To refer to Mr. Shirley as a "huckster" is to depict him as a cardboard cutout. In person, an entirely different individual than the one the author makes out in her book. Research of a place must be considered in proper context. One can never truly experience a place unless they were there at the time and, unfortunately, the author was born much too late to appreciate what she missed. There are folks, of an earlier generation than the author, who think back on Shirley as it once existed, wishing that they could travel to a time before the great 1970s invasion. The stuff that dreams are made of...
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Providing a fair and accurate depiction of life in Shirley, NY required the author to have been alive and aware of her surroundings at the time the town was stood up. Her depiction of Shirley is similar to establishing a scathing critique of the Bronx circa 1960s when it was on the decline and only a shadow of its former self. Shirley was, in its heyday, a Normam Rockwell town. A place of quiet and tranquility. A great place, in fact, to raise a family. A town of simple wants and needs nestled near the Atlantic. Lazy summer days sun bathing at Shirley beach,and later when the Smith Point bridge was constructed, along a beautiful strip of Fire Island. Summer evenings catching a burger or two at Skippy's before heading into the Shirley Drive-In to catch a Cinemascope main feature. Winters of significantly more peace and quiet. Townsfolk who took deep pride in their community, many of whom were recent city transplants taking true delight in small town living. One could go on about Shirley at a time when its founder was present. Then again, one could portray the town in an entirely different light, after Mr. Shirley had passed. When it was overrun in the early 1970s by folks with a limited to non-existent sense of community, essentially destroying the small town integrity that Shirley once enjoyed. I have no issue with the author's description of life in that area as she knew it. The problem is, she has no idea what the town was truly like in its prime. To refer to Mr. Shirley as a "huckster" is to depict him as a cardboard cutout. In person, an entirely different individual than the one the author makes out in her book. Research of a place must be considered in proper context. One can never truly experience a place unless they were there at the time and, unfortunately, the author was born much too late to appreciate what she missed. There are folks, of an earlier generation than the author, who think back on Shirley as it once existed, wishing that they could travel to a time before the great 1970s invasion. The stuff that dreams are made of...
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blanche has commented on (2) products.
Welcome to Shirley: A Memoir from an Atomic Town by Kelly McMasters
blanche, August 26, 2010
Providing a fair and accurate depiction of life in Shirley, NY required the author to have been alive and aware of her surroundings at the time the town was stood up. Her depiction of Shirley is similar to establishing a scathing critique of the Bronx circa 1960s when it was on the decline and only a shadow of its former self. Shirley was, in its heyday, a Normam Rockwell town. A place of quiet and tranquility. A great place, in fact, to raise a family. A town of simple wants and needs nestled near the Atlantic. Lazy summer days sun bathing at Shirley beach,and later when the Smith Point bridge was constructed, along a beautiful strip of Fire Island. Summer evenings catching a burger or two at Skippy's before heading into the Shirley Drive-In to catch a Cinemascope main feature. Winters of significantly more peace and quiet. Townsfolk who took deep pride in their community, many of whom were recent city transplants taking true delight in small town living. One could go on about Shirley at a time when its founder was present. Then again, one could portray the town in an entirely different light, after Mr. Shirley had passed. When it was overrun in the early 1970s by folks with a limited to non-existent sense of community, essentially destroying the small town integrity that Shirley once enjoyed. I have no issue with the author's description of life in that area as she knew it. The problem is, she has no idea what the town was truly like in its prime. To refer to Mr. Shirley as a "huckster" is to depict him as a cardboard cutout. In person, an entirely different individual than the one the author makes out in her book. Research of a place must be considered in proper context. One can never truly experience a place unless they were there at the time and, unfortunately, the author was born much too late to appreciate what she missed. There are folks, of an earlier generation than the author, who think back on Shirley as it once existed, wishing that they could travel to a time before the great 1970s invasion. The stuff that dreams are made of...(3 of 4 readers found this comment helpful)
Welcome to Shirley: A Memoir from an Atomic Town by Kelly McMasters
blanche, August 26, 2010
Providing a fair and accurate depiction of life in Shirley, NY required the author to have been alive and aware of her surroundings at the time the town was stood up. Her depiction of Shirley is similar to establishing a scathing critique of the Bronx circa 1960s when it was on the decline and only a shadow of its former self. Shirley was, in its heyday, a Normam Rockwell town. A place of quiet and tranquility. A great place, in fact, to raise a family. A town of simple wants and needs nestled near the Atlantic. Lazy summer days sun bathing at Shirley beach,and later when the Smith Point bridge was constructed, along a beautiful strip of Fire Island. Summer evenings catching a burger or two at Skippy's before heading into the Shirley Drive-In to catch a Cinemascope main feature. Winters of significantly more peace and quiet. Townsfolk who took deep pride in their community, many of whom were recent city transplants taking true delight in small town living. One could go on about Shirley at a time when its founder was present. Then again, one could portray the town in an entirely different light, after Mr. Shirley had passed. When it was overrun in the early 1970s by folks with a limited to non-existent sense of community, essentially destroying the small town integrity that Shirley once enjoyed. I have no issue with the author's description of life in that area as she knew it. The problem is, she has no idea what the town was truly like in its prime. To refer to Mr. Shirley as a "huckster" is to depict him as a cardboard cutout. In person, an entirely different individual than the one the author makes out in her book. Research of a place must be considered in proper context. One can never truly experience a place unless they were there at the time and, unfortunately, the author was born much too late to appreciate what she missed. There are folks, of an earlier generation than the author, who think back on Shirley as it once existed, wishing that they could travel to a time before the great 1970s invasion. The stuff that dreams are made of...