Book Review: Good Boy, Bad Boy, A Better Man

Reviewed by Philip Zozarro

A humorous, unvarnished autobiography told with whimsy

From his youth in a Sicilian enclave in South Philadelphia to his days on the high seas in the Navy and the hardscrabble days and nights in New York trying to break through in show business, Philip Giambri’s Good Boy, Bad Boy, A Better Man is a blast of a memoir.

Giambri was born in the early 1940s and raised in South Philadelphia, where the houses were close together and common ancestry united most of the neighbors. Phillip’s earliest memories combined the warmth and love of his grandfather feeding him, contrasted with the terror of air raid sirens that were commonplace during the height of World War II. The proximity of the Naval shipyard and the naval hospital brought aspects of the war close to home. Philip’s father and a few of his uncles were declared exempt from military service due to having children.

Phillip came of age during the dawn of television, and his grandparents’ ownership of one of the first TVs in the neighborhood was a source of curiosity to young Phillip as he was able to watch real people on the small screen. As impactful as television was, radio serials grabbed Phillip’s attention most and allowed his imagination to run wild while listening to “Superman” or “The Lone Ranger.” The pull of nostalgia is strong as Phillip recalls the carefree days of his childhood, listening to the exploits of his favorite fictional characters.

In Phillip’s neighborhood, Italian athletes who had made a name for themselves, such as Rocky Marciano and Rocky Graziano, were idolized. Despite engaging in various youth sports as a kid, Phillip doesn’t really exude athletic prowess, which leads to a rift in the relationship between Phillip and his father. While not a natural athlete, Phillip is an outstanding student in school and is praised by various teachers for his intelligence and writing proficiency.

By the time he is a teenager, Phillip’s actions are marked by defiance and anger, a spirit of rebellion burning strong within him. Phillip chafes at the hypocrisy of Catholicism and butts heads with teachers and authority figures at St. James High School for Boys. Thumbing his nose at the establishment and failing grades led to him not being asked back to St. James, yet he fared much better at South Philadelphia High School.

After high school, Phillip enlisted in the Navy but was shabbily treated by other enlisted men due to his ethnicity. However, he persevered and went to Submarine School, where he wrote for his ship’s newspaper. An introduction to a theater group began Phillip’s love affair with the stage, which led to both success and setbacks over the years. While never becoming a wealthy movie star, Phillip became rich in life experiences, many of which he shares in this deeply entertaining memoir.

Good Boy, Bad Boy, A Better Man is a wonder to experience, not only because of the journey, but because the self-reflection of the writing itself proves beneficial for the soul. The book is full of amusing, humorous, and occasionally poignant anecdotes. The stories from his childhood are often tender and engaging, while his teenage years of rabble rousing and chicanery strike the funny bone. His adult years are relayed in a way that elicit an array of emotions, from happiness to frustration to satisfaction.

This is an uplifting journey, an autobiography to remember, the story of a man who has experienced much and has emerged an exemplary storyteller.

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