Just a Philadelphia Boy

About the Book

Just a Philadelphia Boy is a memoir about growing up in North Philadelphia during the years 1936 to 1944 -- from the Depression until the final stages of World War II. The book recreates what was once an “Irish village” neighborhood set in the middle of a big city. The chapters center on the homes, places of employment, education, religious practices, amusements, sports, and general interests of the area’s residents.

North Philadelphia is a neighborhood whose parallels have existed in every major American city. Readers who grew up in areas such as South Boston, the Bronx, and Chicago’s South Side will easily recognize the place. It was once their world too.

About the Author

William J. Lynch has lived in or near Philadelphia all his life. Prior to his retirement, he was a professor of English at St. Joseph’s University in Philadelphia and Montgomery County Community College in Blue Bell, Pennsylvania. A member of Alpha Sigma Nu, he received his A.B. from St. Joseph’s College, M.A. from Boston College, and Ph.D. from the University of Pennsylvania. His most recent publication is the critical and biographical sections of Three Plays by George Kelly (Philadelphia’s Pulitzer Prize playwright of the 1920s). He lives in Ambler, Pennsylvania, with his wife Eileen and a cheeky tabby cat named Bob.