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Wonderland: A Tale of Hustling Hard and Breaking Even

Wonderland: A Tale of Hustling Hard and Breaking Even

By Nicole Treska

"A necessary narrative that extends compassion and dignity to those our society often withholds it from. After the death of her paternal aunt, Nicole returns to the town that gave her family its street cred but has taken away everything else. She was born to a family of gangsters in the Boston area whose affiliation with the Winter Hill Gang afforded them an amount of protection, money, and respect.

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Book Information

Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Publish Date: 07/09/2024
Pages: 224
ISBN-13: 9781668005040
ISBN-10: 1668005042
Language: English

What We're Saying

May 09, 2024

In her memoir, Nicole Treska reflects on her complex family history, reframing her memories from a source of difficulty to an opportunity for connection. READ FULL DESCRIPTION

Full Description

A "touching memoir" (The New York Times Book Review) that "brilliantly blends a history of Boston and its surrounding areas with the history of a fascinating--and at times functional--family" (Isaac Fitzgerald, New York Times bestselling author of Dirtbag, Massachusetts) as one girl discovers how to break free from the criminal underworld that surrounds her. Nicole Treska was born to a family of gangsters. In the 1970s, during Boston's mob wars, her grandfather's diner was an unofficial headquarters for Whitey Bulger and other members of the Winter Hill Gang. Nicole's father was also an associate of the gang: there was talk that, before Nicole could walk, her stroller was used as a decoy to sell drugs. In 1985, her father was arrested and tried--sentenced to two years in prison for federal drug trafficking. Wanting to offer a better life to her children, Nicole's mother moved her and her sister out of Boston. As an adult, Nicole strove to separate herself from her past, establishing a career as a writer and professor in New York City. But when she learns her father's sister has passed away, she returns to her hometown and reunites with her dad--now stooped and struggling to walk on a bad knee. As she gets reacquainted with him and the old neighborhood, Nicole is forced to reconcile with her harrowing childhood and its lingering impact. A "compelling portrait" (Safiya Sinclair, National Book Critics Circle Award-winning author of How to Say Babylon) "written with urgency, vulnerability, and compassion" (Ashley C. Ford, New York Times bestselling author of Somebody's Daughter), Wonderland masterfully explores and elucidates the line between helping family and hurting ourselves.

About the Author

Nicole Treska is the author of the debut memoir, Wonderland. Her short fiction has appeared in New York Tyrant Magazine , Epiphany Magazine , and Egress: New Openings in Literary Arts.

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