Across Generations

Bill Pezza’s debut novel, ‘Anna’s Boys,’ chronicles the journey of those who grew up in the ’60s through a small-town lens.

By: Jillian Kalonick
   Though Bill Pezza’s debut novel, Anna’s Boys (AuthorHouse, $24.95), takes place in Bristol, Pa., the author says it could have taken place in any Smalltown, U.S.A.
   "There’s an episode in the book where a character, Frankie, takes a ride through town and visits the places of his youth," says Mr. Pezza. "That tries to capture the idea of living in a place with a past, where generations can be identified as living there as well. It’s really neighborhood America."
   Mr. Pezza, who was born in New York City but moved to Bristol as a child and has lived there for most of his life, makes reference to several Bristol institutions that residents will recognize — the King George II Inn, Mill Street, the wharf, Cesare’s. But members of the baby boom generation, no matter where they grew up, will be familiar with the national events that have local effects on the town. The main characters of Anna’s Boys come of age in the ’60s and grow up as John F. Kennedy and Martin Luther King Jr. are assassinated and the U.S. is divided over the Vietnam War.
   The title of Mr. Pezza’s novel refers to Anna Francelli, a widow with a daughter and a son who also is a maternal figure for her son’s six friends, who are affected by the Vietnam War in drastic ways. Mr. Pezza will read from and sign Anna’s Boys at Huntingdon Valley Library Oct. 12 and Barnes & Noble in Langhorne, Pa., Nov. 10.
   "Bristol is a place with a past," writes Mr. Pezza in the book’s introduction. "It’s got bumps and bruises, which proves it’s in the game, but it’s a town with heart and character that has seen boom, bust, and resurgence in its long history. It was a great place for kids like us to grow up in the ’50s and ’60s, a colorful place with even more colorful inhabitants who suffered some bumps and bruises of their own…"
   Anna Francelli’s son and his friends struggle through the draft, suffer the horrors of the Vietnam War, deal emotionally and physically with the aftermath, and then, after Sept. 11, things come full circle, and they realize that another devastating war lies ahead. The book, which Mr. Pezza dedicates to the men and women of the armed forces and their families, places emphasis on the importance of supporting soldiers and veterans, regardless of one’s position on the war they fight in. Mr. Pezza recently discussed the book at a gathering of the Delaware Valley Vietnam Veterans, when every person in the room bought a book, he says.
   Although Mr. Pezza didn’t serve in Vietnam, "there’s an unfairness of the sacrifice," he says, "that many people of my generation did and so many people did not. That’s always been in the back of my mind, and I see it more so happening in Iraq, that we are relying on a very small portion of society to make the sacrifice."
   Mr. Pezza teaches American history and develops social studies curriculum for the Lower Moreland Township (Pa.) School District, and places an emphasis on interdisciplinary studies and incorporating primary source materials into teaching. His background might explain why young people are picking up Anna’s Boys — an English class at Nazareth Academy in northeast Philadelphia is reading it as part of their studies.
   "People literally of all ages are enjoying it," says Mr. Pezza. "The oldest person I know who read the book is 85 years old."
   Mr. Pezza, whose wife, Karen, helped out by reading drafts of the novel, has three adult children, Leighann, Bill and Greg. His colleagues in the school district also helped him through the process, which Mr. Pezza says took two and a half years of writing and six months of revision. As a social studies/history teacher he was already familiar with much of the material, but also did research. Those who grew up in Bristol in the ’60s will recall President Kennedy’s visit to Levittown Shopping Center, which is detailed in the book, as well as when Bobby Kennedy’s funeral train passed through Bristol on June 8, 1968.
   "Social studies disciplines have the constant chore of reminding people that our job is to try to make people make sense of their world, and to try to help us learn from the past," says Mr. Pezza. "We need to produce citizens just as much as we need to produce executives.
   "I believe if you want kids to get excited about it you have to put a face on it, to make the characters and the players come alive, their tragedies and triumphs."
Bill Pezza will read from and sign Anna’s Boys at Huntingdon Valley Library, 625 Red Lion Road, Huntingdon Valley, Pa., Oct. 12, 7 p.m. For information, call (215) 947-5138. On the Web: www.hvlibrary.org. Mr. Pezza also will read and sign books at Barnes & Noble, 450 Oxford Valley Road, Langhorne, Pa., Nov. 10, 7 p.m. For information, call (215) 269-0442. Anna’s Boys is available on Amazon.com; for a personalized copy, e-mail [email protected] or call (215) 788-2053. On the Web: www.annasboys.com