Terry Carden

Coming of Age in Scranton: Memories of a Puer Aeternus Terry Carden

Terry Carden's autobiographical Coming of Age in Scranton profiles his experiences as a child and young adult in the Anthracite Capital of the World during the 1940s and '50s. Based on an original series of 25 e-mail installments to his niece, describing the life and times of three siblings in Scranton, PA, it relates in detail the thoughts, fears, anxieties and aspirations of a boy as he struggles toward manhood. Whimsical recollections of day-to-day challenges, accomplishments and setbacks move along at a comfortable pace, spanning earliest childhood memories to graduation from college. Historical and cultural references clarify the context of the recollections and add richness to the story. It also tells the story of an Irish-American family at that place and time, as noted in the epilogue, touching "on those who came before us, where they came from and to some extent what kind of people they were. We now have a lineage that stretches back six generations, where we lose its origins at the water's edge." Coming of Age in Scranton is entertaining as well as informative, well worth the time and effort to share these fascinating recollections.