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Born in Dorchester, Massachusetts in 1952, Thomas Cirignano moved to South Boston as a young man and took over his father's auto repair business in the heart of "Southie." His decades running that shop would be described as surreal by most people's standards. Through pure luck, he survived numerous life threatening situations. Upon leaving Southie, Tom relocated to Florida, spending eleven years there before returning to Massachusetts in 1998.
Thomas Cirignano has been a contributing writer and served as an advisory member on The New Bedford Standard-Times Editorial Board. He served two terms on The Freetown-Lakeville Regional School Committee, and has served on several other town committees and commissions. He is a certified scuba diver, ultra-light aircraft pilot, has owned several motorcycles, and loves boating. A spinal fracture, Scoliosis, and Harrington Rod surgery have now limited his ability to enjoy most of those activities.
Tom's autobiography, titled, "The Constant Outsider: Memoirs of a South Boston Mechanic" offers readers a chilling, up-close look at what went on in Southie during the 1970s and '80s. It was "Whitey Bulger's reign of terror," as Tom calls it. Due to its time and place in Boston's tumultuous history, along with the situations and people Tom encountered, "The Constant Outsider" is an exciting story in its own right. In "67 Cents: Creation of a Killer," the author explores the alternate, more chilling path that truly was available to him.
Reviewed by Anne Boling for Readers' Favorite
Thomas M. Cirignano is the author of "The Constant Outsider" and "67 Cents: Creation of A Killer." This is a review of the latter. Our tale begins with Nick meeting someone in an alley to collect $1000. Instead he is stabbed repeatedly in the back and left to die what is expected to be a slow, painful death. Nick lies in a deepening pool of his own blood, unable to scream for help, unable to move. The nothingness that Nick expects doesn’t come; instead he sees scenes from his life in Dorchester and South Boston. Nick spent a lot of time pumping gas at his dad’s gas station. The men in the area liked to gamble. Nick’s dad often sent Nick to a bookie to place bets on the horses. As Nick continued to watch his own life, he realized that what began as small indiscretions on his part grew into larger ones. He wanted to make changes to his past choices, but it was too late; nothing could be changed. Nick formed ties with some really bad people. He learns the hard way what happens when you make the wrong decisions.
Thomas M. Cirignano is from Dorchester and South Boston and utilizes his personal knowledge in his plot. "67 Cents: Creation of a Killer" held my attention to the very last page. However, the conversation between Sonny and Nick will stay with me forever. I can’t get it out of my mind. I won’t share anything about that conversation for that would be giving away too much of the plot. The plot is written from a unique point of view. Throughout our lives, we all have the opportunity to make decisions. Once we’ve acted on those decisions, we can’t go back and change them. Thomas M. Cirignano’s tale reminds us to make our decisions wisely, for there are no re-dos in life. This is a fascinating look at what could have happened in the author’s life if he had said "Yes" to all the mob offers that were presented to him.
