Welcome to the Arcade

by Michael F Deconzo

Overview

Living in South Beach, Staten Island, the “forgotten borough” of New York City, best friends Johnny Romano, Ralphie Molinaro and Giulia Stringer struggle to understand a world that doesn't make a whole lot of sense to them. They're searching for answers to questions that seem impossible to figure out: why are their parents so crazy? How do they live with the hole left in their hearts when someone dies? Why is the gravitational pull of their neighborhood, a beach town next to the Verrazano Bridge that still hasn't shaken off its past, so powerful? What peculiar shapes can love take? And why has a rundown arcade two blocks from the beach become the center of their universe? But the people they meet—from Joey C., the local mob enforcer, to Luke, a transfer student at Tompkins High School, to Dinino, the mysterious owner of the arcade—all have their own secrets to hide. Covering a decade of their lives, from ten to twenty years of age, WELCOME TO THE ARCADE follows Johnny, Ralphie and Giulia as they move through the kaleidoscope of childhood to the insanity of young adulthood, always keeping one burning question in their minds: How do we figure out the greatest mystery of them all—growing up?

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781665736848
Publisher:	Archway Publishing
Publication date:	05/08/2023
Pages:	338
Sales rank:	494,305
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 0.76(d)

About the Author

Michael DeConzo has had the exceptionally good fortune to teach in the same schools that he attended as a student: IS 49, Curtis High School, and the College of Staten Island. Before he became an educator, he owned a candy store, a video store, drove a truck for a bar and restaurant supply, and kept uneven tempos in a few rock and roll bands. He has had an original screenplay optioned and a play produced on Staten Island. In 2022, he was awarded a grant from Staten Island Arts. TWO NICKELS, his first novel, was published in 2021. Always the optimist, he still lives on Staten Island, where he enjoys spending time with his wife and children and walking Gatsby, his Labrador rescue.

Editorial Reviews

2023-09-07
A close-knit group of friends struggles through the growing pains of pre-teen and teenage years in DeConzo’s novel.

Giulia Stringer, Ralphie Molinaro, and Johnny Romano were all born and raised in the seaside town of South Beach on Staten Island, New York, while their friend, Luke, moved there when he was 14 years old. Each has pinpointed what they want to become as adults, dreaming of lives as writers, actors, and teachers. As they move toward those goals, they navigate typical and sometimes harrowing adolescent experiences like being teased, bucking against authority, and experimentation with drugs and alcohol while dealing with the pressures of familial dynamics that include death, abandonment, and divorce. Throughout, the friends never fail to have each other’s backs. Their mostly Italian neighborhood is populated by colorful characters who expose the leads to aspects of life that school and family life do not, including Joey C., a troubled and misunderstood Vietnam vet; Dinino, the Italian-speaking owner of the local video arcade; and Mary the Blonde, Johnny's feisty grandma, a department store detective (“When I was four, my grandmother Mary the Blonde walked me into the arcade, put me on a milkcrate in front of Whirlybird, and handed me a stack of quarters. Dinino’s been calling me ‘Pucchiacha’ ever since”). The author also grew up on Staten Island, and, if the short author bio is any indication, he clearly writes from a place of humor and love for his hometown, blemishes and all. DeConzo’s ability to reveal important details strategically, with well-paced and unexpected timing, draws readers fully into the world of each character. He beautifully renders teenage pathos and the internal confusion it inflicts upon the four friends and deftly captures the unique voices and concerns of Johnny, Giulia, and Ralphie. While Luke is a pivotal character, he receives less attention, and when his story does get told, it is in a question-and-answer format that feels tacked on. Still, following the overall trajectory of the four friends is a rewarding investment.

A video game arcade becomes a refuge for an inseparable group of Staten Island teens.

Kirkus Reviews