Author Event with Mary Dyer

About the Book:

Growing up in Dorchester, MA during the 1960s and ’70s meant living through some of Boston’s most turbulent years—racial tension, shifting neighborhoods, and families stretched thin by hardship. In this memoir, the author traces her childhood inside a triple-decker world shaped by addiction, mental illness, poverty, and domestic violence—and the fierce sibling bonds that helped her survive it.

At home, a mother of eight did everything she could under impossible circumstances—resourceful, steady, and determined to keep her family afloat. Her children learned early how to look out for one another, raise one another, and find light where they could. Their father, volatile and mentally ill, casts a long shadow over the household, shaping much of what the family had to endure.

Threaded through every chapter is the music that held the siblings together. From kitchen-radio singalongs to teenage bedrooms pulsing with rock and roll, music became a safe place—a shared language of humor, escape, and love.

Both a family tribute and a raw, clear-eyed look at growing up in working-class Dorchester, this memoir honors the strength it took to get through those years—and the willingness to look back on them for the lessons they offered.

About the Author:

Mary's love of writing began in fifth grade when she wrote and delivered a speech about the Beatles. In high school, a poem she wrote about John Lennon was published in her school newspaper, and she later won a statewide essay contest sponsored by a Boston newspaper.

Inspired by family friends who often said someone should tell the story of their turbulent yet unforgettable upbringing in Dorchester, Massachusetts, Mary decided to tell that story.

When she's not reading rock-star biographies, she refurbishes furniture, paints Dorchester landmarks, and sings in a '60s and '70s acoustic trio. Currently, She lives in New England with her husband, Bill, and their rescue dog, Chaqui.

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