GET YOUR COPY OF DYER STRAITS HERE:
Author of Dyer Straits, a compelling coming-of-age memoir that chronicles a family's journey of overcoming domestic violence and poverty in Boston during the '60s and tumultuous '70s.
Available in paperbook and eBook on Amazon and Good Reads
"My family grew up in Dorchester, MA in the ‘60s and ‘70s, and like so many others, our roots go back several generations. On social media pages, Dorchester natives share so many memories—the streets we played on, the schools we attended, the neighbors we knew, and the adventures, misadventures, hard lessons and losses many of us experienced. Instead of posting numerous memories on social media, I wanted to capture my family’s Dot experience all in one place, so I wrote a memoir:
Dyer Straits: All Those Years Ago in Dorchester, MA."
Praise for Dyer Straits:
It had me listening to the Beatles again.
"Mary brings the reader into her home. You get to know her family, her neighborhood pride and the steep price of addiction. I didn't put this down until I finished it."
Editorial Review by Donna Marie West, author of Next in Line and The Mud Man:
"Whether you grew up in the US, Canada (as I did), or elsewhere, if you’re a baby boomer or Gen X, you’re bound to identify, sympathize, laugh, and maybe even shed some tears over Mary Dyer’s heartfelt memoir."
"An immersive journey into 1970s Boston. Far from a story of self-pity, this is a masterful look at growth and the unbreakable bonds of kin amidst the chaos."
Global review from France:
"I went to school in Boston. Thank you to Mary A Dyer for putting her sincere and sensitive words on paper and for describing humanity so well: the best and the worst."
Pen Masters Global:
"A clear-eyed memoir of survival in working-class Boston. Readers will find the depiction of Dorchester particularly evocative, though the story's core—of survival through connection—transcends geography."
Editorial Review by Carolyn V. Hamilton, author of: HELP! I Married a Comedian:
"Dyer Straits is a powerful memoir that brings old-school Dorchester, MA, vividly to life. The author weaves together personal memories, interviews, and archival research to illuminate cycles of alcoholism, violence, poverty, and resilience, while carefully avoiding blame and easy villains."
"Thanks for remembering old Dorchester. OFD Dot Rat Forever."
-Mike L.
The power of love to get through extremely
challenging times.
"There is so much detail describing the days of busing, desegregation, and emotions of those living in the city during the 60s, and 70s. I appreciate how music played a role in all that took place. This is a book that will
stay with me."
Growing up in Dorchester in the 70's was not for the meek.
"I grew up in Dorchester. Mary Dyer does a fantastic job giving us an "in the house" account of growing up in a chaotic working-class household."