Michael Patrick MacDonald, New York Times bestselling author, is coming to the Jamestown Arts Center on Sunday, October 27. He’ll be talking about his acclaimed memoir “All Souls: A Family Story from Southie,” which is now 25 years old.
The event is part of the JAC Talk series and runs from 4 to 5:30 p.m. at the center’s 18 Valley Street location in Jamestown, Rhode Island.
MacDonald’s 1999 memoir breaks the silence around life in South Boston’s Old Colony Housing Project during the 1970s. It dives into tough topics like poverty and grief, but also touches on hope and restorative justice.
In a recent chat on GBH’s The Culture Show Podcast, MacDonald mentioned, “A lot of teenagers and college students tell me how much the book connects with their lives.”
The author grew up in a neighborhood that, until the 2000s, had the highest concentration of white poverty in the U.S. His book tells his family’s story through the eyes of a kid dealing with a violent environment.
“All Souls” doesn’t shy away from the harsh realities of South Boston during Whitey Bulger’s drug operations and the school busing riots. It covers incarceration, violence, and poverty. MacDonald himself lost four siblings to drugs and many friends to gun violence.
These days, MacDonald teaches at Northeastern University’s Honors Department and Harvard University Summer School. He’s currently working on his third book, which will explore generational trauma, painkiller epidemics, and how personal stories can drive movements for justice and healing.
If you’re interested in attending the JAC Talk event, tickets are $5. You can grab them at jamestownartcenter.org/events.
