Inspiring story

Having worked at The Examiner for almost eight years (nine if you count the internship) now, I've been really blessed to work with some truly talented writers, including a few who have gone on to have books published (Bill Althaus, Jason Offutt and many more).
 
When I learned Toriano had written a book, I had to read it. I was excited to understand more about the guy who sat at his desk and worked so hard every day – barely saying a word most of the time.
 
What I found in his book was amazing. He opens his book with stories about people he lost to the gang violence in St. Louis, and I cried at the end of each one of those chapters. This is something people back in Hiawatha in the 1990s only feared from hundreds of miles away, and here was someone I knew and respected who grew up in it and came out of it. He has a great way of making those beloved friends of his endearing to the readers and hopeful that the news clip at the beginning is about someone else.
 
The book is  a unique mix autobiography and fiction, which keeps those of us who know Toriano begging him to tell us who the fiction characters were molded after of if some of the things really happened.
 
I can't say I would have picked this book up if I didn't know Toriano, but I'm really glad I got my copy (autographed) early because it not only gave me a whole new respect for him, but it's also inspired me in many ways.
 
The Pride of Park Avenue is available at amazon.com if you're interested!