It All Started in Brooklyn

A Brooklyn Boy’s Treasured Memories

Join Tom Grippa, son of Italian immigrants, on a trip down Memory Lane as he shares his stories about growing up in Brooklyn—a place like no other. More than just a memoir for his children and grandchildren, It All Started in Brooklyn speaks to anyone who grew up in simpler times or wants to know what life was like for a Brooklyn kid in the fifties, sixties, and seventies.

With humor and poignancy, Tom shares stories about famous places, eateries, street games, and special treats associated with Brooklyn. His fondest memories of Brooklyn’s past include trips to Coney Island, playing stickball, flipping baseball cards, and having an egg cream at the local sweet shop. He recollects a bygone era when kids gathered and bonded on the streets and schoolyards of Brooklyn and developed life-long friendships.

Born and raised in Brooklyn’s Boro Park and Gravesend, Tom had a classic Italian American upbringing in a lively mix of Jewish and Italian neighborhoods. In the mid-seventies, he met his soulmate in Brooklyn College—a Jewish girl from Sheepshead Bay—whom he would eventually marry. In recounting their love story, he shares surprising details even his closest family and friends didn’t know! As you’ll read, Tom and Tina stayed close to their Brooklyn roots even as they ventured beyond the borough.

So, hop into the passenger seat as you travel back in time with Tom through his funny, interesting, and insightful Brooklyn experiences.