Putt-Putt Abuse: And Other Zany Tales of Growing Up in 1970s Kenmore, New York, by Jerry Kranitz
Kenmore, New York, in the 1970s, was the best place and time, in all human history to have come of age. Scientific proof of this claim is to be found in these pages. Jerry Kranitz regales the reader with stories of living across the street from the penny candy capital of the world – Kiener’s, delivering the Courier Express, hanging out in bars like He & She’s, Korab’s, and Fletcher’s, pizza at Di Rose, Valenti’s, and Scirri’s, and much more. Jerry and his friends’ shenanigans were many, and nothing is left out. Most important, Jerry enlists the co-conspirators he’s remained friends with for over 50 years to help tell the tale. Among the juvenile, moronic, drunken behavior in these pages, there’s a wealth of fun, hard work, and lessons learned. And, crucially, there is reflection with the hindsight of over 60 years in this great country.
Available from Amazon in paperback and eBook editions. Click the logo to purchase.
Please consider purchasing the paperback from Talking Leaves Books, an independent bookstore in Buffalo, NY. Click the logo to order from their online bookstore for in-store pickup or mailing.
Reader feedback for Putt-Putt Abuse
Amazon just delivered this book and I’m halfway through it laughing so hard it hurts! I’m glad I bought a couple others as Christmas gifts, but I don’t know if I can wait that long to give it to them! – Ellen L.
Just got your book an hour ago and it’s bringing back memories. Oh my gosh, this book means so much to me. Thank you for writing it! – Susan S.
What a great book with tons of memories by you plus opening memories for me. I still live in Kenmore but it’s not the same as it was when we were growing up. How lucky we were to live here in our younger years! – David T.
I had a blast reading your book. Great laughs and memories of walking those streets at all hours. I grew up on Kenwood and could see Scirri’s Pizza from the house. – Ray W.
Cassette Culture: Homemade Music and the Creative Spirit in the Pre-Internet Age, by Jerry Kranitz
Cassette Culture: Homemade Music and the Creative Spirit in the Pre-Internet Age takes a social history/analytical approach to the growth of the global cassette culture/homemade music network that sprouted and flourished from the post-punk era through the early 1990s. The author explores how the participants communicated, traded, collaborated, and set up cottage industry labels to distribute their work. A long overdue study of this pivotal yet less than comprehensively documented chapter in the post-punk and 20th century independent arts movement stories.
Originally published in hardback by Vinyl-on-Demand (and now sold out), the book is available from Amazon Kindle stores worldwide. CLICK HERE to purchase from Amazon.