Joseph Kenney was born on the East Side of Manhattan in 1951, surrounded by eclectic landmarks such as the United Nations Headquarters, Grand Central Terminal and The Waldorf Astoria Hotel. He was the fifth child of seven siblings, living in a Two Bedroom Railroad Flat in a neighborhood that was a melting pot of ethnic persuasions in which most families thrived.

He, though, was encumbered by alcoholism, abandonment and festering resentment and was subjected to unspeakable acts of sexual, physical, and emotional abuse. Kenney tells his story in the Last of the Eastside Kids with candor....