Southside Kid
Subtitle: The Chicago Book
Publisher: BookSurge Publishing
Published: September 27, 2006
Language: eng
Format: Paperback
Number of pages: 302
ISBN-13: 9781419643521
Subjects: L. Curt Erler; General; Fiction
First sentence: Recent reviews;                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              First of all, what this is not. It is not a weepy, sniffling "good old days" lament. Nor is it a "things were much better back then" dirge. It is an extraordinarily detailed day-by-day account of a boy growing into manhood on Chicago's Southside. All the joy, nonsense and tomfoolery of adolescence are here, and so are the pain, tears, dejection and heartbreak. These emotions are universal to all teenagers, whether they were part of a middle-class clan, dirt-poor, or filthy rich. 

The reader is left marveling at Erler's resilience in the face of the adversity and misery he brought on himself, as teenagers will. But he always bounced back, and each bounce brought him higher and higher. This Southside Kid is now a retired successful business man, with a happy marriage and a loving family. 

Southside Kid will take you on a fascinating journey through the days of wars, snack foods, automobiles, sports, race relations, and the birth of rock n' roll. Music always played a big part in Erler's life, and he provides an unparalleled written soundtrack that is bound to provoke happy memories. 

There is much here for readers of all ages. More than a memoir, this is a portrait of real life in America. Write on, Curt! Let's hear the rest of the story. 

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Before I start my review i'd like to say i'm just under 30 years of age and live far away from Da Southside, in fact i'm right across the pond in dear ol' blighty - the North East of England! (Tho I was born and still am a Bristol Kid!) 
The music I love and adore with all my heart is the music Curt shares with us in Southside Kid. I just about dig anything that came out on the Sun label. Rockabilly, Blues, R'n'R, R'n'B, Country, Jazz....Man just about anything that's got a beat, especially if it was recorded between the 40's and early 60's. 
So I grew up in an era where these mighty tough sounds are hard to find on the radio, TV ect. I spend my life daydreaming about what it would've been like living in such a time. 
Southside Kid has taken me to such places I have dreamt about, a time when the world and the folks had different values to the world today. 
If you dig Baseball look no further, Curt might share with you a few secrets about pitchin'! 
Personally I love the stories about the road trips, the jazz joints (Count Basie!) and traditional family values. 
This is a heartwarming read, plenty of laughter(Curt's got great humor), and a very loving family. 
If every household shared the same faith and love the world would be a better place. 
It's truly a fascinating read, I felt many emotions whilst reading this book, "Southside Kid" will touch your soul. 
Thanks Curt for being a real gentleman and sharing your wonderful memories with me. I now have a better understanding of that rockin' era! 
"The Castleside Cat" Dave K 


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Surely we all have dreamed of having that mythical time machine that would take us maybe to the future, but who wants to go there??? I'm going in reverse to those happy days of the fifties. I thought I remembered them but found many more in reading Southside KId, the baseball games with little real quality equipment,who cared-or knew! the wonderful funky cars Curt describes especially the ones he owned, but wait !! don't listen to me, Curt is patiently waiting at the curb in his Merc, the door is open and you're invited-hang on tight ! you're not going to believe it,hurry up cause I know he wants to hit the Blue Note tonight, Basie is in town.
Description: Life on Chicago's 'Southside' through the WWll Post War yerars and through the Fifties.
You'll read about - Hard working 'Blue collar' families - Rock & Roll - Hot Rods - Young Love - Baseball and so much more!


Author; L. Curt Erler comes from a large, hardworking family and in his autobiography, Southside Kid; he pays homage to strong family values, to a simpler time at the tail end of WWII. The author recalls his childhood growing up on Chicago’s Southside during the 1950s with plenty of baseball, matinees at the Avalon Theater, young love and Friday night dances with the St. Felicitas kids.  

“Southside Kid’s” narrator is the only non-Catholic attending a Catholic school. Young Curt was fortunate and clever enough to make the best of this rather trying circumstance. He tells of his Yankee adventures in the South and a few altercations on Chicago’s Southside streets. This book is a wonderful and wildly fun journey down a memory lane filled with laughter and high jinks that leaves its reader with a sense of longing. Everyone should have a childhood that is this much fun and a life that is this rich.      

Mr. Erler is also the author of : "Mantilla Lady Visits Baseball's Purgatory" also available at Amazon.com (ISBN: 1-4196-9540- 1)

And coming this fall - "Heaven Bound In The Dead Of Winter"
Notes: Contact Mr. Erler through his marketing manager; Michelle Gérant - southsidecurt@cox.net / southsidecurt@gmail.com
Wholesale and retail questions will receive response within 48 hours. Questions and other comments will receive this same response time.
Thank You