A Lifetime Ago: Before the Death of Childhood

Step back to a simpler time when an ice cream sandwich cost a dime, a seventeeninch Philco console television was the niftiest thing on the block, and kids danced to the tunes of Doris Day, Joni James, and Patti Page. A Lifetime Ago follows the nostalgic adventures and poignant childhood of Jerry Joyell, an average kid of the 1940s and 1950s. Born in 1942 in Waterbury, Connecticut, Joyell grew up in an era of profound change in post-World War II America. The son of working class parents, he learned the importance of family and came to appreciate the modest yet abundant life his mother and father provided for him and his brother. Whether it was a visit to Pat’s Barbershop for a haircut, long summer evenings playing with friends in the park, or picking blueberries so his mother could make her famous muffins, he experienced the beauty of life beyond his front door. Joyell infuses his memoir with insights concerning today’s youth, adding a thoughtful commentary on children past and present. From his first memory of watching Pinocchio with his father on V-J Day in 1945 to his final excitement-filled eighth grade year at Bunker Hill Grammar School, Jerry Joyell presents a vivid, evocative portrait of America during its heyday.