Local Author - "Just a Boy From Home"

Jim McMahon asked me to post this about a local author -

I just finished reading a book written by a woman from the neighborhood, Catherine “Bourke” Chambers. Many of us know Cathy from different neighborhood functions and sporting events as she and her husband Tom raised their 3 sons here in Mt Greenwood, while many more know her from when she was the Crossing Guard at 103rd & Central Park . If this still doesn’t ring a bell, I’m sure you’ll remember the incident when she was seriously injured as she fell victim to a “hit and run” driver at that intersection while she was working back in about 1998. She returned to work briefly but has since resumed her teaching career at Marist High School .

The name of the book is “Just a Boy from Home,” a biography about her Father “William Bourke” who immigrated to the United States of America from County Mayo, Ireland and settled on the southside of Chicago. It’s an eloquently written book full of wit & wisdom with all the funny stories, history, heartbreak and sayings that you could only expect from an Irish family growing up in Chicago . This book will take you back to a much simpler time and as I read it, it became apparent that nobody else other than a family member could have so vividly expressed the love and emotions in a biography than Cathy did for her Father. It’s written straight from her heart and was particularly fun for me to read because my Mother came from County Mayo too, and speaking from first hand personal knowledge, these hard working people were the “Salt of the Earth” and a rare cast of characters, “that we’ll never see the likes of again!”

I give this book a ringing endorsement as a literary masterpiece and would highly recommend it to anyone that grew up in Chicago , no matter where your roots are from. Please patronize this local talent by reading “Just a Boy from Home.” Here’s how you can get a copy:

Ø Winston’s @ 7961 W. 159th Street in Tinley Park
Ø Irish Imports @ 111th Street in Chicago ,
Ø Touch of Green @ 6761 W. 95th in Oak Lawn
Ø Shamrock imports @ 3150 N. Laramie in Chicago (Northside)
Ø St Xavier Bookstore on 103rd Street in Chicago
Ø Marist HS Bookstore on 115th Street in Chicago

You could also e-mail Cathy at:
catchambers@yahoo.com
or call her directly at (708) 910-8306