Thank you to NYU Press for providing me with a copy of Donna Florio’s memoir, Growing up Bank Street, in exchange for an honest review.

In the mid-1950’s, Donna Florio’s theatrical, opera singing parents moved into a small apartment on Bank Street in New York City. Shortly after, Florio was born, and spent her childhood performing opera and navigating her diverse neighborhood.

In Growing up Bank Street Florio details the colorful characters who have lived in her neighborhood. Her exploration goes back to the turn of the century with the early families of Bank Street continuing to the present day. Florio herself spent her entire childhood on Bank Street, and after spending years abroad, returned to live in her neighborhood as an adult. Bank Street has been home to people of all economic walks of life, from street vendors and factory workers, to John Lennon and disgraced movie mogul, Harvey Weinstein. Florio was babysat by the real-life Auntie Mame, and was neighbors with the girlfriend of punk rocker Sid Vicious. Florio was even a neighbor interviewed by the press, making headline news, when Vicious overdosed in their building.

Celebrity aside, Florio spends much of her memoir talking about the normal neighbors on Bank Street who lived extraordinary lives. One of the most memorable was a friend who fearlessly helped other during the early days of the Aids crisis, a time when how the virus was transmitted was still unknown. Florio admits that his actions gave her courage to reach out to friends who were dying. Their neighborhood had always been welcoming towards the gay community, and the Aids epidemic hit Bank Street particularly hard.

Bank Street could be a rough and dangerous neighborhood, but I also took away the feeling that it was populated with neighbors who looked after each other. Later, when she was an adult, Florio learned that the seemingly well-timed intrusions from her neighbors, were actually planned to rescue Florio from her parent’s intense fighting. The neighbors could hear the arguments through the thin walls, and they would make an excuse to take Florio to their house, yet do it in a way that as a child, Florio did not realize the true reason and her parents were allowed to escape embarrassment. Growing up Bank Street is filled with examples of community pride, kindness, and neighbors helping neighbors. In some small way, it reminded me of my own childhood townhouse complex.

If you love New York, quirky characters, and fascinating history, you should definitely add Growing up Bank Street to your TBR list.