An Altar Boy’s Confession: How This Street Smart Kid From Brooklyn Became a Suburban Mamaluke*

*Mamaluke (mama-LOO-keh): A Mamaluke is an Italian slang term for someone who does something dumb, stupid, silly, or foolish, or someone who is dumb, stupid, silly, or foolish.

I thought being street-smart meant I’d never get played. I knew how to read people, spot a scam, and talk my way out of trouble. So, how did I end up making mistakes as an adult that I should’ve seen coming a mile away?

Growing up in Bensonhurst, Brooklyn, I learned how to survive-whether it was in Catholic school, fist fights left and right, or brushing shoulders with wise guys. But nothing prepared me for the struggles that came later. When bad decisions caught up with me, I was forced to face something I never had before: the consequences. The mental wildfire of regret, self-doubt, and trying to fix what I broke nearly consumed me. But in the end, it wasn’t my street smarts that saved me-it was the love and loyalty of my wife and kids.

An Altar Boy’s Confession is a raw, funny, and heartfelt memoir about growing up Italian American in Brooklyn, learning lessons the hard way, and discovering that sometimes, the toughest battles aren’t on the streets-they’re in your own mind.