"Either the work of John Fante is unknown to you or unforgettable. He was not the kind of writer to leave room in between." — New York Times
Boulder, Colorado. The Depression has hollowed out the town, and it's hollowing out the Molise family right along with it. Nick Molise, once a bricklayer, now scrapes by on pool-hall winnings and pride. His wife prays for a miracle that doesn't come. And his mother-in-law, Bettina, never wanted to leave Italy and never lets anyone forget it.
In the middle of it all is seventeen-year-old Dominic — a southpaw with a fastball he's sure will get him out of Boulder for good. While his father wants him hauling brick and mortar, Dominic dreams of the big leagues, bright lights, and a life bigger than the one closing in around him.
Funny, aching, and unmistakably Fante, 1933 Was a Bad Year is a story of a boy caught between his father's hard-earned realism and his own reckless hope — and of a family holding on to each other because there's nothing else left to hold.