Tara Clancy delivers a memoir with warmth, truth and chutzpah that makes THE CLANCYS OF QUEENS a fun read. She finds the heart and life that epitomize Queens in a way that will delight both New Yorkers and outsiders alike.

Starting with her childhood, Clancy’s stories are littered with memorable characters --- from her police officer father who wants to both toughen her up and protect her, to her grandmother who helps her get through college by paying exorbitant amounts for her to cut her unreachable toenails, to her mother’s long-term boyfriend who wants to open her up to the world of opportunities and insight. But it is Clancy’s mother who shines brightest, seeing her daughter through the chaos of a youth filled with many set changes.

"Clancy offers a lighthearted look at growing up among the salt-of-the-earth in America, and THE CLANCYS OF QUEENS does what all good memoirs do: It begins from the unique situation of a life and fans out to reveal the feelings we all share."

The most unique aspect of Clancy’s memoir is the circumstances of her childhood. She splits her time among the homes of those who raise her, and while on the outside this may seem run of the mill, it is the class gap between the homes that makes the difference. For much of the years Clancy writes about, her father lives in a tiny converted boat shed that could only exist in the far corners of Queens. The young Clancy spends most of her time with her mother and grandparents in their community of “the Geriatrics of 251st Street.” She also spends many weekends of her formative years in the sprawling estate of her mother’s long-term boyfriend, a property complete with a pool built for her.

Clancy not only does a beautiful job rendering the different stages on which she lived her childhood, but also excels at emphasizing the dissonance between them. Despite all of the change, Clancy describes her young self as resilient above all else: “By then, age ten, I was already a tried-and-true child chameleon, a real-life little Zelig who knew how to go from being a barfly at a Queens local hangout to a summertime Bridgehamptonite to an honorary septuagenarian at the drop of a dime.”

Though these stories are lively with characters and amusing anecdotes from a uniquely lived youth, Clancy’s memoir really gains steam once she reaches middle school around the middle of the book. It is here where the relatable and raw experiences of dealing with bullies, finding friends and sorting out one’s future are woven aptly in the brisk and confident style that is Clancy’s voice. I enjoyed reading how she navigated the halls of her school, which, like every school, is filled with a minefield of expectations from peers and adults alike.

Once the narrative moves to Clancy’s high school days, readers are allowed a compassionate look inside friendship during hard times. Her closest friends deal with difficult decisions that change their lives, and Clancy must decide if she will follow their example or forge a new path for herself. The stories from this section left me wishing that more of the book had been devoted to this era, as opposed to her childhood. It is in these years that I think Clancy has the material for another memoir, one I’d be interested in reading.

Clancy offers a lighthearted look at growing up among the salt-of-the-earth in America, and THE CLANCYS OF QUEENS does what all good memoirs do: It begins from the unique situation of a life and fans out to reveal the feelings we all share.