Hampton Avenue Chronicles is collection of personal stories of growing up in South St. Louis in the 1960’s and 1970’s, as recounted by author James Bafaro.
A longtime St. Louis radio and online newsperson, (KMOX/WIL/KTRS/NPR and the St. Louis Business Journal), Bafaro tells entertaining and true tales of a young boy coming of age in the South St. Louis neighborhood near Hampton Avenue – a five-mile stretch of north-south roadway in the middle of the city that connected the good, the bad, the sometimes sad, and often humorous stories of a St. Louis child of the 60’s and 70’s.
Hampton Avenue Chronicles is the perfect antidote to the endless stream of negative news we see on social media – a book to keep at your bedside, or take to the pool or beach. A collection of fun, sometimes poignant, sometimes inspiring stories that bring readers back to why they read in the first place: to relax and experience a little escapism.
Written in a conversational style by a veteran reporter who has penned thousands of news stories over a 30-year career in and around journalism, Hampton Avenue Chronicles will return readers to a simpler time, with personal recollections of iconic St. Louis people, places and events from the era.
It will have them smiling and reaching back to their own childhood, often evoking a reaction of, “oh yeah, I remember that!”
Reviews
Don’t take our word for it – here’s what our readers say:
Wendy Wiese
“Donnybrook” Nine PBS
“In a world where we can frequently feel lost, Jim Bafaro proves
you can go home again. Hampton Avenue Chronicles is a one-way
ticket back to each reader’s very own Goethe Avenue. So, grab your
magic marker, pour yourself a scotch and turn on the hi-fi, Al Martino
awaits! You won’t be able to put this book down and you’ll never
want to leave.”
Charlie Brennan
St. Louis broadcast host and author of the book, Only in St. Louis.
“I love Hampton Avenue Chronicles. Jim Bafaro takes us back to the cars, the haircuts, the hangouts, and humidity of South St. Louis in the 1960s and 70s. In the tradition of A.E. Hotchner, Bafaro details a lost St. Louis that was much harder, but in some ways, much better. If you lived through those times, you’re about to experience them again.”
