A me queste storie di ragazzini americani di provincia , di famiglie che si spostano da un parte all’altra del paese, di amici che vivono la loro giovinezza per strada che si buscano la vita in un modo i nell’altro, che hanno paura ma non si fermano, che leggono e sono intelligenti ma nello stesso tempo sono anche figli di puttana…insomma a me queste storie mi piacciono assai. Leggetelo, è veramente bello.

Giuliano Doria

Stop-Time, published in 1967, is a memoir by American author Frank Conroy, and tells the story of his poor childhood and early adulthood, growing up in New York City and Florida. Focusing on a series of moments from his life, the book combines traditional fictional devices such as scenes while also delving deeply into the author’s psyche. The book established Conroy’s reputation as a writer. In his review, Norman Mailer wrote, “Stop-Time is unique, an autobiography with the intimate unprotected candor of a novel. What makes it special, however, is the style, dry as an etching, sparse, elegant, modest, cheerful. Conroy has that subtle sense of the proportion of things which one usually finds only in established writers just after the mellowing of their career.” Many younger writers have cited Stop-Time as an important influence on their writing careers.  He published his second book, Midair, 18 years later.