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Street Boys
Naples, Italy, during four fateful days in the fall of 1943. The only people left in the shattered, bombed-out city are the lost, abandoned children whose only goal is to survive another day. None could imagine that they would become fearless fighters and the unlikeliest heroes of World War II. They are the warriors immortalized in Street Boys, Lorenzo Carcaterra's exhilarating new novel, a book that exceeds even his bestselling Sleepers as a riveting reading experience.
It's late September. The war in Europe is almost won. Italy is leaderless, Mussolini already arrested by anti-Fascists. The German army has evacuated the city of Naples. Adults, even entire families, have been marched off to work camps or simply sent off to their deaths. Now, the German army is moving toward Naples to finish the job. Their chilling instructions are: If the city can't belong to Hitler, it will belong to no one.
No one but children. Children who have been orphaned or hidden by parents in a last, defiant gesture against the Nazis. Children, some as young as ten years old, armed with just a handful of guns, unexploded bombs, and their own ingenuity. Children who are determined to take on the advancing enemy and save the city--or die trying.
There is Vincenzo Soldari, a sixteen-year-old history buff who is determined to make history by leading others with courage and self-confidence; Carlo Maldini, a middle-aged drunkard desperate to redeem himself by adding his experience to the raw exuberance of the young fighters; Nunzia Maldini, his nineteen-year-old daughter, who helps her father regain his self-respect-- and loses her heart to an American G.I.; Corporal Steve Connors, a soldier sent out on reconnaissance, then cut off from his comrades--with no choice but to aid the street boys; Colonel Rudolph Van Klaus, the proud Nazi commander shamed by his own sadistic mission; and, of course, the dozens of young boys who use their few skills and great heart to try to save their city, their country, and themselves.
In its compassionate portrait of the rootless young, and its pitiless portrayal of the violence that is at once their world and their way out, Street Boys continues and deepens Lorenzo Carcaterra's trademark themes. In its awesome scope and pure page-turning excitement, it stands as a stirring tribute to the underdog in us all--and as a singular addition to the novels about World War II.
It's late September. The war in Europe is almost won. Italy is leaderless, Mussolini already arrested by anti-Fascists. The German army has evacuated the city of Naples. Adults, even entire families, have been marched off to work camps or simply sent off to their deaths. Now, the German army is moving toward Naples to finish the job. Their chilling instructions are: If the city can't belong to Hitler, it will belong to no one.
No one but children. Children who have been orphaned or hidden by parents in a last, defiant gesture against the Nazis. Children, some as young as ten years old, armed with just a handful of guns, unexploded bombs, and their own ingenuity. Children who are determined to take on the advancing enemy and save the city--or die trying.
There is Vincenzo Soldari, a sixteen-year-old history buff who is determined to make history by leading others with courage and self-confidence; Carlo Maldini, a middle-aged drunkard desperate to redeem himself by adding his experience to the raw exuberance of the young fighters; Nunzia Maldini, his nineteen-year-old daughter, who helps her father regain his self-respect-- and loses her heart to an American G.I.; Corporal Steve Connors, a soldier sent out on reconnaissance, then cut off from his comrades--with no choice but to aid the street boys; Colonel Rudolph Van Klaus, the proud Nazi commander shamed by his own sadistic mission; and, of course, the dozens of young boys who use their few skills and great heart to try to save their city, their country, and themselves.
In its compassionate portrait of the rootless young, and its pitiless portrayal of the violence that is at once their world and their way out, Street Boys continues and deepens Lorenzo Carcaterra's trademark themes. In its awesome scope and pure page-turning excitement, it stands as a stirring tribute to the underdog in us all--and as a singular addition to the novels about World War II.
352 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published September 1, 2002
48 people are currently reading
701 people want to read
About the author
Lorenzo Carcaterra
47 books688 followersNumber-one New York Times bestselling author Lorenzo Carcaterra's highly successful career spans more than 25 years of writing for the diverse fields of fiction, non-fiction, television, and film.
Born and raised in New York's Hell's Kitchen neighborhood, Carcaterra landed his first job in the newspaper business as a copy boy for The New York Daily News in 1976. He worked his way up to entertainment reporter before leaving the paper in 1982, heading for the green pastures of then-Time Inc. and TV-Cable Week, as senior writer. Nine months later, the magazine folded, leaving him unemployed. A four-month stint at People magazine was followed by an odyssey of writing for a string of start-up publications—Picture Week, Entertainment Tonight Magazine, Special Reports Magazine—and freelancing for dozens of others—The New York Times Sunday Magazine, Newsday Sunday Magazine, Family Circle, Ladies Home Journal, and Twilight Zone Magazine among them.
In 1988, Carcaterra turned to television as a Creative Consultant for the syndicated weekly series Cop Talk: Behind the Shield, produced by Grosso-Jacobson Productions. That led to a job as Managing Editor for the CBS weekly series Top Cops, also with Grosso-Jacobson Productions. Running for four seasons, from 1990 to 1994, the show is still in syndication today worldwide. In addition, he worked on a dozen other pilots, one of which––Secret Service (NBC)––made it to air. It was while at Grosso-Jacobson Productions that Carcaterra wrote and published his first two books, A Safe Place and Sleepers.
First published in hardcover in 1993, A Safe Place: The True Story of a Father, a Son, a Murder, attracted widespread critical acclaim, with Newsweek calling it, “unforgettable—a remarkable book.” Currently in its 14th printing, it has been sold to 11 foreign countries and has sold close to 220,000 copies.
The 1995 publication of Sleepers, which was a #1 New York Times bestseller in both hardcover and paperback, catapulted Carcaterra to national attention. Sold to 35 foreign countries and now in its 38th printing in the United States, the book has sales exceeding 1.8 million copies. In 1996, Sleepers was made into a feature film starring Brad Pitt, Robert DeNiro, Dustin Hoffman, Kevin Bacon, Minnie Driver, and Jason Patric. Carcaterra served as co-producer on the project, which was directed by Academy Award winner Barry Levinson. To date, the movie has earned in excess of $500 million worldwide in combined box-office, video, DVD, and TV sales.
Carcaterra made a smooth transition into writing fiction with his first novel, Apaches, a New York Times bestseller in both hardcover and paperback. Published in a 14 foreign countries, the book has sold more than 450,000 copies and been optioned by producer Jerry Bruckheimer.
He followed that with Gangster, published in hardcover in 2001. The book has sold over 375,000 copies since its 2002 release as a Mass Market Paperback. The novel has been optioned by Joe Roth and been sold to 15 foreign countries.
Carcaterra then wrote Street Boys, a World War II saga inspired by an incident which occurred in Naples, Italy, in 1943. Warner Bros. and Bel-Air Entertainment bought the rights to the story in March 2001 before it was written, and developed the project for director Barry Levinson. Carcaterra wrote the screenplay. The paperback was released in July, 2003 and has since sold 150,000 copies.
Carcaterra's next novel Paradise City was published in hardcover by Ballantine in September 2004 with the paperback following a year later. To date, the novel has sold over 100,000 copies and was optioned by Fox Television to be developed as a weekly series.
In 2007, Carcaterra published Chasers, a sequel to his bestseller Apaches. The paperback version was published in the spring of 2008 and movie rights to the story are once again controlled by Jerry Bruckheimer Productions.
With that, Carcaterra took a different turn and has just completed hi
Born and raised in New York's Hell's Kitchen neighborhood, Carcaterra landed his first job in the newspaper business as a copy boy for The New York Daily News in 1976. He worked his way up to entertainment reporter before leaving the paper in 1982, heading for the green pastures of then-Time Inc. and TV-Cable Week, as senior writer. Nine months later, the magazine folded, leaving him unemployed. A four-month stint at People magazine was followed by an odyssey of writing for a string of start-up publications—Picture Week, Entertainment Tonight Magazine, Special Reports Magazine—and freelancing for dozens of others—The New York Times Sunday Magazine, Newsday Sunday Magazine, Family Circle, Ladies Home Journal, and Twilight Zone Magazine among them.
In 1988, Carcaterra turned to television as a Creative Consultant for the syndicated weekly series Cop Talk: Behind the Shield, produced by Grosso-Jacobson Productions. That led to a job as Managing Editor for the CBS weekly series Top Cops, also with Grosso-Jacobson Productions. Running for four seasons, from 1990 to 1994, the show is still in syndication today worldwide. In addition, he worked on a dozen other pilots, one of which––Secret Service (NBC)––made it to air. It was while at Grosso-Jacobson Productions that Carcaterra wrote and published his first two books, A Safe Place and Sleepers.
First published in hardcover in 1993, A Safe Place: The True Story of a Father, a Son, a Murder, attracted widespread critical acclaim, with Newsweek calling it, “unforgettable—a remarkable book.” Currently in its 14th printing, it has been sold to 11 foreign countries and has sold close to 220,000 copies.
The 1995 publication of Sleepers, which was a #1 New York Times bestseller in both hardcover and paperback, catapulted Carcaterra to national attention. Sold to 35 foreign countries and now in its 38th printing in the United States, the book has sales exceeding 1.8 million copies. In 1996, Sleepers was made into a feature film starring Brad Pitt, Robert DeNiro, Dustin Hoffman, Kevin Bacon, Minnie Driver, and Jason Patric. Carcaterra served as co-producer on the project, which was directed by Academy Award winner Barry Levinson. To date, the movie has earned in excess of $500 million worldwide in combined box-office, video, DVD, and TV sales.
Carcaterra made a smooth transition into writing fiction with his first novel, Apaches, a New York Times bestseller in both hardcover and paperback. Published in a 14 foreign countries, the book has sold more than 450,000 copies and been optioned by producer Jerry Bruckheimer.
He followed that with Gangster, published in hardcover in 2001. The book has sold over 375,000 copies since its 2002 release as a Mass Market Paperback. The novel has been optioned by Joe Roth and been sold to 15 foreign countries.
Carcaterra then wrote Street Boys, a World War II saga inspired by an incident which occurred in Naples, Italy, in 1943. Warner Bros. and Bel-Air Entertainment bought the rights to the story in March 2001 before it was written, and developed the project for director Barry Levinson. Carcaterra wrote the screenplay. The paperback was released in July, 2003 and has since sold 150,000 copies.
Carcaterra's next novel Paradise City was published in hardcover by Ballantine in September 2004 with the paperback following a year later. To date, the novel has sold over 100,000 copies and was optioned by Fox Television to be developed as a weekly series.
In 2007, Carcaterra published Chasers, a sequel to his bestseller Apaches. The paperback version was published in the spring of 2008 and movie rights to the story are once again controlled by Jerry Bruckheimer Productions.
With that, Carcaterra took a different turn and has just completed hi
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 96 reviews
January 5, 2020
Feels like you are right in the heart of the action! I would've like a better ending though.
own-personal-library
February 2, 2020Part of a readers digest series
June 15, 2020
4.5★
Lorenzo Carcaterra’s Street Boys is a little way from the brilliance of Gangster and Apaches but still a thoroughly good read nonetheless. Set in 1943 Street Boys follows the story of the Nazis relentless destruction of Naples on the south eastern coast of Italy.
Mussolini’s government has collapsed. Germany are marching through his streets creating devastation in retaliation to the Italian dictators fall from grace. British and American troops occupy parts of Italy in an effort to extinguish the Nazi hold and push them out of the country.
Connors, sole survivor of a three-man American recovery unit sent to Naples to track down missing GI’s, discovers to his surprise an army of street kids occupying the remains of the city. Their reluctance to be pushed out of a city where their families were either killed or taken away inspires Connors. This convinces him to make a stand against Colonel Von Klaus and his Panzer Tank Division who are returning to Naples to finish off what is left of this ancient city.
Using whatever weapons they can find from the initial assault on Naples the boys and Connors begin to build an impressive arsenal to fend off the Nazis. As they prepare for battle they also become close friends discovering peace within each other during a time of war.
This is a great tale of courage and friendship. Carcarterra’s background has a fair bit to do with the outlining facts of the story and his ability to write about warmth and passion comes to the fore yet again. You do at times find some of the battle segments hard to imagine, boys of 12-15 years of age standing up against the might of a Nazi Panzer Division, but it grips you nonetheless.
While I do prefer Carcarterra’s work of non-fiction, for example A Safe Place and Sleepers, I still believe this writer is one of the best around and I will always look forward to his next piece of literature.
Lorenzo Carcaterra’s Street Boys is a little way from the brilliance of Gangster and Apaches but still a thoroughly good read nonetheless. Set in 1943 Street Boys follows the story of the Nazis relentless destruction of Naples on the south eastern coast of Italy.
Mussolini’s government has collapsed. Germany are marching through his streets creating devastation in retaliation to the Italian dictators fall from grace. British and American troops occupy parts of Italy in an effort to extinguish the Nazi hold and push them out of the country.
Connors, sole survivor of a three-man American recovery unit sent to Naples to track down missing GI’s, discovers to his surprise an army of street kids occupying the remains of the city. Their reluctance to be pushed out of a city where their families were either killed or taken away inspires Connors. This convinces him to make a stand against Colonel Von Klaus and his Panzer Tank Division who are returning to Naples to finish off what is left of this ancient city.
Using whatever weapons they can find from the initial assault on Naples the boys and Connors begin to build an impressive arsenal to fend off the Nazis. As they prepare for battle they also become close friends discovering peace within each other during a time of war.
This is a great tale of courage and friendship. Carcarterra’s background has a fair bit to do with the outlining facts of the story and his ability to write about warmth and passion comes to the fore yet again. You do at times find some of the battle segments hard to imagine, boys of 12-15 years of age standing up against the might of a Nazi Panzer Division, but it grips you nonetheless.
While I do prefer Carcarterra’s work of non-fiction, for example A Safe Place and Sleepers, I still believe this writer is one of the best around and I will always look forward to his next piece of literature.
August 12, 2009
The more popular novels I read, the more I realize how few ideas are circulating via vox populi. This amateurish opus has fewer than most. I did not listen to the last CD of this audio book. Why bother? The previous CD's were steaming piles of WWII derivative fantasy "inspired by" a legend involving children's resistance to the German Army in Naples, Italy, in 1943. This novel, which uses many sources, from "Saving Pvt. Ryan" to "Sleepers", is utterly unrealistic. The plucky street urchins are led by a corporal in the US Army and his loyal mastiff dog. Handy for the American, the urchins include a smoldering but wholesome 17-year-old virgin beauty. (Kids, can you say, "Statutory rape"?) With the GI leading them, during the first two days the street boys manage to kill dozens of Germans, destroy a dozen tanks, and blow up a German tanker--with not one casualty among them. The Germans are all called "Nazis," even though only a minority belonged to the party. Even though the GI is a college grad, with a couple years of law school, he is a mere corporal. Preposterous. Men with only two years of college were automatically made officers during WWII. Joe Mantegna gamely reads through this tripe, taking on phony German or Italian accents when the need arises. Sorry, Joe. I don't think I can respect you after this sorry performance. 'Better stick to B-TV series.
October 4, 2014
This World War II action novel purports to tell the story of how a couple hundred boys in Naples under the leadership of an American soldier fought off the Nazi army intent on destroying the city as it retreated from Italy. I think that teenage boys especially might enjoy the story which moves from one battle to another in which the boys are hopelessly outnumbered but using elements of surprise and street smarts (together with the military strategy of an American soldier and an Italian veteran) they beat the bad guys. When I was a teenager, I read "The Guns of Navarone" and I think that though teenage boys would enjoy both, they would remember Navarone long after they forgot this book.
When I was a teenager, I had a dream in which the United States was overrun by some enemy, and the soldiers had gotten to within a mile of my house, but we fought back. For years afterward, in idle moments I would look at the landscape in my hometown and imagine how to fight a battle there. This book probably satisfies a young person's desire to be a hero, to overcome the odds, etc.
For me, the audiobook was easy to listen to (Joe Montegna did well with various voices), but felt more like a TV show than a group of real people I cared about.
When I was a teenager, I had a dream in which the United States was overrun by some enemy, and the soldiers had gotten to within a mile of my house, but we fought back. For years afterward, in idle moments I would look at the landscape in my hometown and imagine how to fight a battle there. This book probably satisfies a young person's desire to be a hero, to overcome the odds, etc.
For me, the audiobook was easy to listen to (Joe Montegna did well with various voices), but felt more like a TV show than a group of real people I cared about.
October 28, 2023
"We do many things we shouldn't do in the course of a life," Maldini said. "It doesn't make them right or wrong, just a part of who we are. In times like these, it becomes too much of a chore to judge others."There are moments when we are reading that the author touches our soul with simple words that have a profound meaning to the story and the essence of the meaning of life. The quote above is only one example spoken by the character of Maldini, a grandfather.
Lorenzo Carcaterra has created a gripping, page-turning novel based on an actual 4-day period of history in the city of Naples during WWII.
My father was a WWII Army veteran who served as one of the many Allied land forces in the Mediterranean theater, advancing from North Africa to Sicily to Rome. This novel provides another insight into why my father never spoke about the war unless in the company of his two closest Army buddies. If wives and/or children entered the room, the conversation turned again to the present and future, never forgetting the past as it was a part of them.
The novel is simultaneously heart-wrenching and heart-warming and speaks to the horrors of war and resilience in action.
June 19, 2010
It was a good story of adults (minority) helping, rather than leading or simply 'saving' children and youth (the majority).
Lots of action and strategy going on.
Definitely a good read.
At the same time, this book makes me think: If you're against child soldiers, would you enjoy this book, and would your opinion or stance be different, before and after reading?
With regards to that fact/fiction pingpong going around about this book: I admit it's 99% fiction and 1% fact - while the story is inspired by truth, I don't think that "documenting what really happened" is the point of this book, so I wouldn't give the facts more credit than to give birth to this interesting historical fiction. But, it's a wonderfully expanded and multi-depth take on the kids-in-control scenario (for which I'm also very fond of, if only to see the different ways different people choose to portray it, or the different interpretations and expectations of different people, with regards to the intelligence, skills, cohesiveness, and abilities of youth and children).
Lots of action and strategy going on.
Definitely a good read.
At the same time, this book makes me think: If you're against child soldiers, would you enjoy this book, and would your opinion or stance be different, before and after reading?
With regards to that fact/fiction pingpong going around about this book: I admit it's 99% fiction and 1% fact - while the story is inspired by truth, I don't think that "documenting what really happened" is the point of this book, so I wouldn't give the facts more credit than to give birth to this interesting historical fiction. But, it's a wonderfully expanded and multi-depth take on the kids-in-control scenario (for which I'm also very fond of, if only to see the different ways different people choose to portray it, or the different interpretations and expectations of different people, with regards to the intelligence, skills, cohesiveness, and abilities of youth and children).
November 9, 2008
There's some history that this story is based on, I'm told, but I'm also told that it's very loosely based on that history. Still, all in all, fantasticly presented!
The orphaned children that have been left behind in Naples to fend for, and ultimately defend, themselves are written to convey their bravery and at the same time their vulnerability. The boys and handful of girls are at once determined to stay alive, and afraid of what their future will bring them.
I couldn't help falling for these kids. They're smart, they're tough, and though their parents are either gone or dead, they know they can depend on each other.
The imagination that they used to fight the advancing Nazi army amazed me. I don't know how much was fictionalized and how much was a matter of fact, but it made me appreciate the kids more, seeing all that gumption!
The orphaned children that have been left behind in Naples to fend for, and ultimately defend, themselves are written to convey their bravery and at the same time their vulnerability. The boys and handful of girls are at once determined to stay alive, and afraid of what their future will bring them.
I couldn't help falling for these kids. They're smart, they're tough, and though their parents are either gone or dead, they know they can depend on each other.
The imagination that they used to fight the advancing Nazi army amazed me. I don't know how much was fictionalized and how much was a matter of fact, but it made me appreciate the kids more, seeing all that gumption!
October 26, 2011
this is not my nornal type of read but once i started i could not put it down, these kids were so brave and went through hell against a german tank division in Naples after being left behind to fend for themselves. Although it says boys girls were involved also, it shows the enthusiasm of children left behind and the determination of self survival.
Brilliant read .
Brilliant read .
August 7, 2016
Interesting look at the leveling of the city of Naples by the Nazis.
Surprised that this is not a Movie!
Surprised that this is not a Movie!
October 25, 2019
This was the final book of Lorenzo Carcaterra's which I haven't read and once I realised it was about the war, I left it to last purposefully.
It is using his knowledge of the fact he was born and grew up in Hell's Kitchen in New York to a mother from Naples, who brought him there in his childhood years and teens, to the points where Carcaterra himself will (probably with some justification) say he has a 'dual heritage.'
Like a lot of books about war, it is about death, explosions, guns, bravery and courage. In this instance, it is about a bunch of kids, street urchins, who lost everything, and fought the Nazis (the sort of bad guys that since the Indiana Jones films through Wolfenstein, have been done to death, quite frankly) in Naples, the city in which they will live and die, in the year 1943 (just as Mussolini lost his grasp on power and Nazi Germany, instead of being an ally as before, invaded Italy).
There are the usual giant explosions and set pieces that people, who have read Apaches, Chasers and Paradise City will be all-too-familiar with, along with a fleeting love story behind your typically All-American Hero from St Louis with a wooden jaw and even more wooden dialogue, coming to the rescue of a platoon of about 100 (most orphaned) children to fight the Nazis, using their cunning, recycled Nazi weapons and derring-do bravado, born of the fact that they knew they were gonna die anyway, but would take as many Nazi with them while they were doing so.
Like with a lot of books of Carcaterra's since I first read The Gangster, I have always had the distinct feeling that his best work was always his first - the autobiographical 'A Safe Place' and his best-seller, 'Sleepers' are both absolutely fantastic and on another level to the rest of his books.
Paradise City was meh. Midnight Angels was a bad attempt at writing a Dan Brown-style book, set in Florence, but being distinctly worse at doing so than Dan Brown.
This book was boring, with stilted dialogue, unfunny (but meant to be funny) lines abound but it was genuinely painful for me to read. I hate reading about any kind of war at the best of times, but clearly Carcaterra has always wanted to write something and set it in Naples (he says as much in the introduction to the book) and he just happened to do so on the back of his mother's stories about the 'child soldiers' during WW2, who were as doomed as they were brave in fighting the Nazis.
Having now read everything Carcaterra has published (all novels, at least), I would advise you to stay away from this one, and concetrate on his best work, which for me, ranked in order, would be:
1. Sleepers
2. Gangster
3. A Safe Place
Every single thing he has written since has seen him trying (and, unfortunately, failing) to re-create former glories of his better earlier best-selling books. He will not be the first writer, who had 1-2 good stories to tell and did them early, and spent the rest of their career trying to write something as good.
So, with this in mind, if you are going to pick only 1 book of Lorenzo's - you'd do well to give this one a miss.
Only completionists like me would bother with it and well, we suffered for our sins accordingly haha. But I left this one til last and well, with good reason, in the end.
I should also add that other than 3 others, I read all the Carcaterra novels in 2018, which is at least 6-7 other books, so can speak from a 'relatively' recent memory regarding his opus. And this is arguably his worst book.
Also, I didn't pay to read this - it was given to me for free. If I had to pay to read this WW2 garbage, I'd have been mightily miffed! I am sure there is a real story about daredevil, not afraid of death because we're so young and we're gonna die anyway story of incredibly bravery done by a group of 100 doomed boys, showing the sort of courage on the battlefield that real men, grown soldiers are unable to do so, due to their sheer love for their native city of Naples. But Lorenzo has done a poor job of fleshing out that story in this book.
It is using his knowledge of the fact he was born and grew up in Hell's Kitchen in New York to a mother from Naples, who brought him there in his childhood years and teens, to the points where Carcaterra himself will (probably with some justification) say he has a 'dual heritage.'
Like a lot of books about war, it is about death, explosions, guns, bravery and courage. In this instance, it is about a bunch of kids, street urchins, who lost everything, and fought the Nazis (the sort of bad guys that since the Indiana Jones films through Wolfenstein, have been done to death, quite frankly) in Naples, the city in which they will live and die, in the year 1943 (just as Mussolini lost his grasp on power and Nazi Germany, instead of being an ally as before, invaded Italy).
There are the usual giant explosions and set pieces that people, who have read Apaches, Chasers and Paradise City will be all-too-familiar with, along with a fleeting love story behind your typically All-American Hero from St Louis with a wooden jaw and even more wooden dialogue, coming to the rescue of a platoon of about 100 (most orphaned) children to fight the Nazis, using their cunning, recycled Nazi weapons and derring-do bravado, born of the fact that they knew they were gonna die anyway, but would take as many Nazi with them while they were doing so.
Like with a lot of books of Carcaterra's since I first read The Gangster, I have always had the distinct feeling that his best work was always his first - the autobiographical 'A Safe Place' and his best-seller, 'Sleepers' are both absolutely fantastic and on another level to the rest of his books.
Paradise City was meh. Midnight Angels was a bad attempt at writing a Dan Brown-style book, set in Florence, but being distinctly worse at doing so than Dan Brown.
This book was boring, with stilted dialogue, unfunny (but meant to be funny) lines abound but it was genuinely painful for me to read. I hate reading about any kind of war at the best of times, but clearly Carcaterra has always wanted to write something and set it in Naples (he says as much in the introduction to the book) and he just happened to do so on the back of his mother's stories about the 'child soldiers' during WW2, who were as doomed as they were brave in fighting the Nazis.
Having now read everything Carcaterra has published (all novels, at least), I would advise you to stay away from this one, and concetrate on his best work, which for me, ranked in order, would be:
1. Sleepers
2. Gangster
3. A Safe Place
Every single thing he has written since has seen him trying (and, unfortunately, failing) to re-create former glories of his better earlier best-selling books. He will not be the first writer, who had 1-2 good stories to tell and did them early, and spent the rest of their career trying to write something as good.
So, with this in mind, if you are going to pick only 1 book of Lorenzo's - you'd do well to give this one a miss.
Only completionists like me would bother with it and well, we suffered for our sins accordingly haha. But I left this one til last and well, with good reason, in the end.
I should also add that other than 3 others, I read all the Carcaterra novels in 2018, which is at least 6-7 other books, so can speak from a 'relatively' recent memory regarding his opus. And this is arguably his worst book.
Also, I didn't pay to read this - it was given to me for free. If I had to pay to read this WW2 garbage, I'd have been mightily miffed! I am sure there is a real story about daredevil, not afraid of death because we're so young and we're gonna die anyway story of incredibly bravery done by a group of 100 doomed boys, showing the sort of courage on the battlefield that real men, grown soldiers are unable to do so, due to their sheer love for their native city of Naples. But Lorenzo has done a poor job of fleshing out that story in this book.
August 5, 2020
Having been born and raised in the city of Naples, I was familiar with the historical events of the Four Days of Naples in the fall of 1943. I found this book interesting, but also found to many inaccuracies and inconsitencies, especially from a geographical perspective, which makes me wonder if the Mr. Carcaterra has ever been to Naples and its surrounding towns. One of the first inaccuracies I noted is where he mentions going "up" to Salerno from Naples. Salerno is south of Naples, so it should say going "down" to Salerno. And at the end when Connors is said to have moved out with his division "heading up north toward Amalfi and the coast." Another geographical error. Amalfi is also south of Naples, located along the Amalfi Coast between Naples and Salerno.
At one point in the story, the author writes that Piazza Garibaldi in front of the train station was mined by the Germans and that the children, with the help of the American soldier, dug up the mines, loaded them in a donkey cart and drove the cart to Parco Virgiliano (Parco Remembrance) which is located at the end of the Posillipo peninsula. The disatance from Piazza Garibaldi to Parco Virgiliano is almost 9 miles. According to the storyline, this all happened in a matter of a few hours. I find it hard to believe since 1) the city was pretty much in ruins 2) a donkey cart moves rather slow, especially if having to negotiate fallen buildings and other rubble on the road and 3) having to move around without being noticed by the Germans.
The battle at the Maschio Angioino (Castel Nuovo) is also not very credible in that the castle is a huge structure that still stands to this day. Yes, it is pockmarked by where it was shelled, but the walls and doors are so incredibly thick, that they did not crumble during the Germans' attacks. I also found it strange that, aside from Nunzia and her father, there is no mention of any of the other citizens of Naples who fought the Germans those four days. It wasn't only children. Many older men and women took part in the fighting.
It is also interesting to note that, all the Neapolitan children and adults either speak good English or Connors speaks good Italian or Neapolitan (the dialect) to be able to hold the elaborate conversations they have. Definitely impossible since most neapolitans in 1943 spoke no or very little English (unless highly educated). As for Connors, there was no mention of how he learned Italian if he did.
Finally, whoever edited the book for hte Italian or Neapolitan phrases used did a rather poor job. I should have highlighted them in the book, but I only highlighted one. At the end of the battle when they are singing, the song "Parla Mi D'Amore, Mariu" should be written "Parlami (one word) d'Amore, Mariu."
At one point in the story, the author writes that Piazza Garibaldi in front of the train station was mined by the Germans and that the children, with the help of the American soldier, dug up the mines, loaded them in a donkey cart and drove the cart to Parco Virgiliano (Parco Remembrance) which is located at the end of the Posillipo peninsula. The disatance from Piazza Garibaldi to Parco Virgiliano is almost 9 miles. According to the storyline, this all happened in a matter of a few hours. I find it hard to believe since 1) the city was pretty much in ruins 2) a donkey cart moves rather slow, especially if having to negotiate fallen buildings and other rubble on the road and 3) having to move around without being noticed by the Germans.
The battle at the Maschio Angioino (Castel Nuovo) is also not very credible in that the castle is a huge structure that still stands to this day. Yes, it is pockmarked by where it was shelled, but the walls and doors are so incredibly thick, that they did not crumble during the Germans' attacks. I also found it strange that, aside from Nunzia and her father, there is no mention of any of the other citizens of Naples who fought the Germans those four days. It wasn't only children. Many older men and women took part in the fighting.
It is also interesting to note that, all the Neapolitan children and adults either speak good English or Connors speaks good Italian or Neapolitan (the dialect) to be able to hold the elaborate conversations they have. Definitely impossible since most neapolitans in 1943 spoke no or very little English (unless highly educated). As for Connors, there was no mention of how he learned Italian if he did.
Finally, whoever edited the book for hte Italian or Neapolitan phrases used did a rather poor job. I should have highlighted them in the book, but I only highlighted one. At the end of the battle when they are singing, the song "Parla Mi D'Amore, Mariu" should be written "Parlami (one word) d'Amore, Mariu."
September 29, 2020
You know how, In the movies and on television, the good guys are always crack shots (even if they have never held a gun before) while the gangsters/Nazis/bad guys always miss by a mile? And the flesh wounds from bullets only slow the good guy down for an hour or so? Well….that describes this book. That's the bad part. Read on for the good news.
A band of about 200 boys (and a few girls) from age 10 to 20 are roaming Naples, eating whatever scraps they can find in a city abandoned by its people. The Germans commandeered all the adult men for forced labour, and the remaining population has been forced by the Germans to flee. Rather than leave the city, many decide to fight Nazis to the death. This book suggests the resistance was ONLY children that remained.
This is a page-turner, and an interesting insight on the rigors of guerrilla street-fighting. But is it realistic? Kids with no training in fighting luckily meet up with a single American soldier, a Thunderbird, who leads them in the art of fighting Germans. They recover their families’ firearms from the bottom of the Bay of Naples; they are taught how to dig out the land mines planted everywhere. They recover unexploded bombs. As they down Nazis they steal their weapons, ammunition, and grenades. They use these weapons against the Germans in all kinds of ingenious ways, and this makes for an interesting story.
One has to wonder though, about the huge quantities of bullets and grenades used. How does a hungry, tired young woman learn overnight to “fall to the ground, roll, come up on one knee,” and shoot a German? And keep doing it over and over? I found this aspect of the book unbelievable and a bit silly.
The book gets 3 stars though, for its suspense, its ingenuity, the awareness it fostered in me about wartime Naples and the resulting internet search for more information. There are no official historical accounts about children alone saving the city – only a story from the author’s grandmother and general folklore accounts of this incident. More realistic accounts online suggest the uprising was by Neapolitans left behind, but does not suggest they were all children. I always enjoy a book that excites my curiosity about obscure historical events. It is worth reading for escapist action.
A band of about 200 boys (and a few girls) from age 10 to 20 are roaming Naples, eating whatever scraps they can find in a city abandoned by its people. The Germans commandeered all the adult men for forced labour, and the remaining population has been forced by the Germans to flee. Rather than leave the city, many decide to fight Nazis to the death. This book suggests the resistance was ONLY children that remained.
This is a page-turner, and an interesting insight on the rigors of guerrilla street-fighting. But is it realistic? Kids with no training in fighting luckily meet up with a single American soldier, a Thunderbird, who leads them in the art of fighting Germans. They recover their families’ firearms from the bottom of the Bay of Naples; they are taught how to dig out the land mines planted everywhere. They recover unexploded bombs. As they down Nazis they steal their weapons, ammunition, and grenades. They use these weapons against the Germans in all kinds of ingenious ways, and this makes for an interesting story.
One has to wonder though, about the huge quantities of bullets and grenades used. How does a hungry, tired young woman learn overnight to “fall to the ground, roll, come up on one knee,” and shoot a German? And keep doing it over and over? I found this aspect of the book unbelievable and a bit silly.
The book gets 3 stars though, for its suspense, its ingenuity, the awareness it fostered in me about wartime Naples and the resulting internet search for more information. There are no official historical accounts about children alone saving the city – only a story from the author’s grandmother and general folklore accounts of this incident. More realistic accounts online suggest the uprising was by Neapolitans left behind, but does not suggest they were all children. I always enjoy a book that excites my curiosity about obscure historical events. It is worth reading for escapist action.
December 26, 2021
Este es difícil de hablar al respecto, es un libro de la segunda guerra mundial, evidentemente no es un libro precisamente alegre. El libro va a lugares oscuros, hay muerte y el autor no se corta un pelo en las descripciones.
El libro esta basado en una leyenda, por decirlo de algún modo, pero eso no lo hace más fácil de leer. Es un libro que se mueve rápido y te mete en su mundo fácilmente, te hace querer saber que va a pasar, en que va a acabar y quien va a sobrevivir, hace un excelente trabajo en hacerte encariñarte con los personajes y en hacerte interesarte en su lucha.
Si embargo, el problema está en el cast de personajes, tenemos a los principales, los más importantes, bien definidos, pero hay tantos personajes que en cierto punto es imposible recordar quien es quien, menciona a tantos niños por nombre que recordarlos a todos se vuelve una tarea muy complicada lo que hizo que algunas muertes fueran menos impactantes.
Las últimas 100 páginas, sin embargo, son un golpe tras otro a las emociones. Lo que hasta el momento habían sido muertes en masa de pronto se vuelven específicas y nadie está a salvo, incluso aquellos que parecían ya haber escapado dejan de estar a salvo. Las últimas 4 páginas dan el último golpe de una forma inesperada y al igual que Vincenzo lloré por ello.
El libro esta basado en una leyenda, por decirlo de algún modo, pero eso no lo hace más fácil de leer. Es un libro que se mueve rápido y te mete en su mundo fácilmente, te hace querer saber que va a pasar, en que va a acabar y quien va a sobrevivir, hace un excelente trabajo en hacerte encariñarte con los personajes y en hacerte interesarte en su lucha.
Si embargo, el problema está en el cast de personajes, tenemos a los principales, los más importantes, bien definidos, pero hay tantos personajes que en cierto punto es imposible recordar quien es quien, menciona a tantos niños por nombre que recordarlos a todos se vuelve una tarea muy complicada lo que hizo que algunas muertes fueran menos impactantes.
Las últimas 100 páginas, sin embargo, son un golpe tras otro a las emociones. Lo que hasta el momento habían sido muertes en masa de pronto se vuelven específicas y nadie está a salvo, incluso aquellos que parecían ya haber escapado dejan de estar a salvo. Las últimas 4 páginas dan el último golpe de una forma inesperada y al igual que Vincenzo lloré por ello.
November 12, 2020
Street Boys is a graphic, wonderful, and moving story involving an American soldier, an older Italian man and his adult daughter, and approx. 200 orphaned children who attempt to save what is left of their city (Naples, IT)from total destruction by Nazi Germany's 16th Panzer Division.
Put aside the fact that Street Boys is historical fiction and wrap yourself in this brutal story of sacrifice and determination...a story that includes devotion to country, the utter bravery of youngsters, and the leadership of an American soldier. In terms of human life, there is no victory in war.
Lorenzo Carcaterra has written an emotional story of the valor shown by folks involved in the horrors of war.... A novel that is difficult to put down.
Put aside the fact that Street Boys is historical fiction and wrap yourself in this brutal story of sacrifice and determination...a story that includes devotion to country, the utter bravery of youngsters, and the leadership of an American soldier. In terms of human life, there is no victory in war.
Lorenzo Carcaterra has written an emotional story of the valor shown by folks involved in the horrors of war.... A novel that is difficult to put down.
March 9, 2022
WOLVERINES! Oh, yeah. STREET BOYS reads like the movie Red Dawn -- only set during WWII, and instead of rural America - in Naples, Italy!
A band of 200 Italian kids under 16 team up with an American soldier in battle to save the already decimated Naples. The Nazis want the port - a gateway to the ocean, but before establishing command they have orders to tear down and destroy every single structure.
Orphaned, or abandoned, the 200 kids look to each other and to the American for leadership in a last chance, all-out war against Hitler's tanks and soldiers.
Riveting, and explosive. This book is non-stop action with great, heroic characters! Loved every page!
Phillip Tomasso
author of Temple of Shadow
A band of 200 Italian kids under 16 team up with an American soldier in battle to save the already decimated Naples. The Nazis want the port - a gateway to the ocean, but before establishing command they have orders to tear down and destroy every single structure.
Orphaned, or abandoned, the 200 kids look to each other and to the American for leadership in a last chance, all-out war against Hitler's tanks and soldiers.
Riveting, and explosive. This book is non-stop action with great, heroic characters! Loved every page!
Phillip Tomasso
author of Temple of Shadow
July 30, 2025
What I Did Like:
+Children are the focus here, as intended. The adult characters who enter the story do so to “assist” more than “take over” or “lead”. That works for this story.
+Detailed action scenes. If you’re looking for a war book with action you can clearly picture, this delivers.
+It will intrigue you to research the events further, which I believe may have been the point. This book tiptoes around some big events that will leave you curious for more.
Who Should Read This One:
-Fans of action driven books about war may appreciate this fictionalised take on the Four Days of Naples.
My Rating: 3 Stars
For Full Review: https://alltherightreads.com/2025/07/...
+Children are the focus here, as intended. The adult characters who enter the story do so to “assist” more than “take over” or “lead”. That works for this story.
+Detailed action scenes. If you’re looking for a war book with action you can clearly picture, this delivers.
+It will intrigue you to research the events further, which I believe may have been the point. This book tiptoes around some big events that will leave you curious for more.
Who Should Read This One:
-Fans of action driven books about war may appreciate this fictionalised take on the Four Days of Naples.
My Rating: 3 Stars
For Full Review: https://alltherightreads.com/2025/07/...
July 22, 2022
1940s, Italy invaded by the Germans. Naples, with few adults and a couple hundred kids, Nazis descending on the city, attempting to level every building and leave the city in ruins.
Connors, an American soldier with the Thunderbirds. Sent to Naples to find the two advanced Americans with a couple of other soldiers to help - a medic and a sharpshooter.
And here is the story of how an American soldier separated from his unit comes to make a stand with Vicenzo and his fellow youths, along with Maldini, a drunk middle-aged engineer and Maldini's 19 yr old daughter Nunzia. Lives were lost, friends were made, love was shared in a fight to defend the city and their world.
Connors, an American soldier with the Thunderbirds. Sent to Naples to find the two advanced Americans with a couple of other soldiers to help - a medic and a sharpshooter.
And here is the story of how an American soldier separated from his unit comes to make a stand with Vicenzo and his fellow youths, along with Maldini, a drunk middle-aged engineer and Maldini's 19 yr old daughter Nunzia. Lives were lost, friends were made, love was shared in a fight to defend the city and their world.
August 20, 2022
I read Sleepers a long time ago and it’s a book that has stuck with me. At the time I picked up all the other books written by the author and there they have sat on my shelf and moved house with me several times. At last I picked one up and I was intrigued that it was loosely based on true events, having finished I suspect it was very loosely. For me I felt it was quite far fetched, however it was quite readable. Some of the action scenes were hard to picture in my head and maybe it was just me, but as the children were setting traps, all I could picture was Macaulay Culkin in Home Alone. That said I was interested enough to keep reading to end and I did think I could see it as a movie.
May 4, 2020
Based on a true story (read as part of my Amalfi Coast trip prep). During WW2, the Nazis are about to lose, but haven't given up Naples yet. On their way out, they plan to demolish and burn everything, but a group of boys and girls, left behind, binding in ruins, band together to fight. helping them is an American soldier on a scouting mission for his troops down the coast. Improbably, they give the Naxis a fight they'd not dreamt possible.
I would love to see this made into a movie -- but maybe such violence by and on young people would not sell tickets?
I would love to see this made into a movie -- but maybe such violence by and on young people would not sell tickets?
May 16, 2017
This is a dreadful book-in fact it's not a book it's a kids comic.
Only gave it 1 star as zero wasn't an option.
Devoid of literary style, repetitive on the incidents described,no characterisation,no meaningful dialogue, and cynical in the way it moves us round the city of Naples with little narrative justification just to allow the writer to introduce us to the most superficial of trip- advisor snapshots of the history of this great city's buildings and historic sites .
A computer could have produced this-maybe it did.
Can't believe publisher paid money for this!
Only gave it 1 star as zero wasn't an option.
Devoid of literary style, repetitive on the incidents described,no characterisation,no meaningful dialogue, and cynical in the way it moves us round the city of Naples with little narrative justification just to allow the writer to introduce us to the most superficial of trip- advisor snapshots of the history of this great city's buildings and historic sites .
A computer could have produced this-maybe it did.
Can't believe publisher paid money for this!
December 12, 2021
The Street Boys is an exciting and intense story about abandon orphans taking on the might of the Nazi army. Orphans with nothing to lose bravely defending their home city with the help of an American soldier. The true brutality of the Nazi regime is shown in this book. This story inspires us that even children can achieve extraordinary things. I like how Carcaterra could have written about any event, but decided to show light on the Italian resistance.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 20, 2019
As I go through all of Carcaterra's books I keep finding a common thread in his writing, he's very personable and his characters engrossing.
Yes! I like him.
Street Boys is an early fictional work based on a formidable WWII event smoothly woven through his characters and yes, I cried at the end.
Yes! I like him.
Street Boys is an early fictional work based on a formidable WWII event smoothly woven through his characters and yes, I cried at the end.
January 29, 2020
I didn't actually listen to the audiobook, I read but couldn't find a matching picture so chose this one.
1943 and Naples is in ruin and the Nazis are ready to move in BUT they never expected a bunch of street orphans would put up a fight they had never suspected was possible. Lots of action, and definitely a book you will not want to put down.
1943 and Naples is in ruin and the Nazis are ready to move in BUT they never expected a bunch of street orphans would put up a fight they had never suspected was possible. Lots of action, and definitely a book you will not want to put down.
July 31, 2020
It's not realistic but it kept me going so I could see what happened next. I enjoyed it I know there were some child soldiers but it is hard to believe even with the help of an American soldier that they could nearly win a war against German soldiers with many tanks.
If you want a good escape novel this could be a good choice.
If you want a good escape novel this could be a good choice.
November 30, 2022
Torn on this one. Great story that is very well told. Naples is a character unto itself and descriptions very well written. I would say the build up and prelude to the action seemed too long for me. That said, about half way through it really takes off and is hard to put down. I probably give it a 3.5. Definitely worth the read.
March 15, 2023
I went back and forth in my feelings about this book as reading it. There was a lot of action which I sometimes found difficult to follow and a lot seemed unrealistic. But it was well written and, in the end, I ended up at 3.8 - right in line with the consensus rating - rounded to 4.
Rating changed from 4 to 3 stars:
Since reading this book I've had an 'ending hangover. I wasn't crazy about the ending and that feeling lingered with me. That's not the aftereffect I want from a book so I lowered my rating from 4 to 3.
Rating changed from 4 to 3 stars:
Since reading this book I've had an 'ending hangover. I wasn't crazy about the ending and that feeling lingered with me. That's not the aftereffect I want from a book so I lowered my rating from 4 to 3.
August 26, 2025
I’ve read this book a quite a few times over the years & every time it gets to me. It’s so well written, the story is heartbreaking & also has you cheering for the underdog the entire time. It breaks my heart but also gives me hope. Honestly it’ll be one I continue to reread for years to come.
May 19, 2017
PL recommended after we read the Ferrante series in Naples. I have to imagine they've made this book into a movie.
July 3, 2017
A surprising story of street kids in 1943 fighting the Nazis in Naples.. a fictional version of real events.. well done
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