Grace in Hell’s Kitchen

About the Book

Grace in Hell’s Kitchen is a story of an ordinary woman who lived an extraordinary life. Born in Hell’s Kitchen to immigrant parents who did not speak English, Grace Kremza, a smart, studious, faith-filled Catholic woman, assimilates into the hardscrabble life of this poor neighborhood, excels in school, aspires to go to college—only to have her dreams derailed by an unplanned pregnancy. She marries her high school sweetheart, and the family struggles financially. Its economics is stabilized when Grace gets a part-time job at a rising trucking company, UPS. As her husband successfully secures a position in the local racketeering business, the family prospers financially. But misfortune strikes when her husband is falsely convicted of murder and sent to Sing Sing for twenty-five years. Grace in Hell’s Kitchen is a story of loyalty—to her family, to her neighborhood, and to her husband, as he adjusts to prison and to his return to his family, to his freedom, and to a future she hopes for—but only he can determine what happens next.

About the Author

M. J. Slattery grew up in Hell’s Kitchen, and in some ways, he still lives there. He was an adjunct professor of philosophy, is a retired research director for a major New York City real estate trade association, and an aspiring poet. He resides in the Village of Ridgefield Park, New Jersey, with his loving wife, Margie Camphausen Slattery.