Review of Concrete leprechaun

[Cheshire_wolf]

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Concrete leprechaun" by Steve walsh.]

---

4 out of 5 stars

---

Share This Review

---

Concrete Leprechaun by Stephen Walsh is about a New York Irish teen in the 1970s named Jack McGee. The story is about him growing up in a time period where what race you were/weren't mattered to the point of violence. Where teens like Jack formed groups to survive the harshness of the Bronx streets and the immigrants that were slowly invading their space. Jack spins the tale with humor, snark, and more foul language/racial slurs in a New York accent heavy enough to be heard physically in the real world. What makes a man a man? A boy, just a boy? From the mouth of Jack McGee himself, he will tell you—in vivid detail—just brace yourself.

While reading the story, I had a feeling throughout the entire time he was recalling his story like a memoir or diary. That would kind of account for the fluidity between chapters and the way things pick up/end. I'm no New Yorker, so I'm not 100% sure how they talk normally on a day-to-day basis, but the authenticity is clear; the author did a very good job. Though because of that heavy accent, spotting errors for this story was extra challenging. Having to distinguish what was meant as an accent and what was a true mistake kind of got a bit tiring halfway through. So I just buckled down and read it for what it was from that point on, and boy did I not regret it! Concrete Leprechaun was charismatically written in such a way I could practically see Jack McGee in front of me.

What drew me to this book was its unique cover image. It literally nails the entire theme of the whole novel. You couldn't get a clearer picture if you had tried to represent what this story would be about. The subtitle didn't exactly thrill me, though. I mean, Bronx Boy Does Life? It sounded weird, but I didn't allow it to dissuade me from reading the book. Which I'm super glad about because this super uniquely styled written novel was well worth the effort to read.

What I really disliked about the novel was all the unfamiliar terms! By all that is holy, there were so many unfamiliar terms that it took me time just to look up and categorize them all. That was one hearty roadblock that really slowed my progress in reading this book. I seriously wish here the author had put either footnotes or a glossary of terms in the back of the book, because this story definitely, without a doubt, NEEDS them. I would say this would be the deciding factor in someone purchasing this to own. I also did not like how it ended; well, to be frank, there could have been just a bit more there. I feel like the author forgot something as he was closing Jack's memory down.

I rate this book 4 out of 5 stars because it is charismatically written and a truly wonderful read, but since it didn't have a glossary of terms and the accent made it hard to truly discern errors made within the book, I had to remove a star. That and the ending, naturally, like I said above, needed to be just a little more. Seriously though, this would definitely pass up there for being a perfect 5-star—at least for me—if it had only had that much-needed glossary in the back. Hopefully the author will add that and a more detailed ending later in an update. Please, please, please, author.

This book is a coming-of-age novel that can also be read by adults. Though I highly suggest a teen that is 17+ because this book does have HEAVY profanity. This book is definitely not for people who are super religious or are sensitive to racial slurs, because, again, there is a lot of that going on in the book. Although the book does mention God and praying to him, this is not what I would consider a religious book/suitable for people who are sensitive to the above-stated topics. If you're looking, though, for a uniquely written novel with brash tones and enough wit to fill the NY stadium, then this is definitely the book for you. I highly recommend this book; it would make an excellent addition to anyone's shelf.

******
Concrete leprechaun
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon

[Charles Benson]

Grit-stained and brutally honest, Concrete Leprechaun sounds like a punch in the gut from a kid who had to grow up too fast. What grabs me is how Jack McGee’s voice doesn’t just tell the story—it owns it, in all its raw, unfiltered, and unapologetically Irish-American rage. It’s not just coming-of-age—it’s coming-of-identity, in a city chewing up boys by the block. Sounds like a wild, uncomfortable, and necessary ride.