One interesting response to Chapter 7. Apparently, Tommy Caparelli pushing his son against a wall counts as assault and child abuse. Maybe nowadays it is, but not in 1979. Don’t go judging historical periods by modern standards. I’d hate to admit the shit my father did to me back in the 1960s and 1970s. Somehow, I survived.
On the other hand, several readers with personal knowledge of adoption or unwed motherhood commented I got it right. Thanks. It seems there are a lot of family trees with some odd branches grafted on. For those who say Tommy and Mary should have told Hersch when he was a child, I reply that’s not realistic. Certainly, in the 1960s the whole situation would have been one of deep shame and social disapproval. What would be the odds that a young child would blab about it to friends, and that his friends would tell their parents? I guarantee there would have been repercussions from telling Hersch too soon as well as too late.
A typo was found in Chapter 3. Fixed. Thanks.
Enjoy!