Synopsis

Through the senses of an undersized, spring-loaded kid, Saint Als presents a microcosm of the American city, Jersey City, in the late twenties, and reveals his troubled life in Catholic School and his troubling problems at home and on the street.

Otto Meerbott, the author and protagonist, encounters more evil nuns than saintly ones at school, but wisely turns to the saintly ones. He finds himself the target of bullies, and when his older brother is too busy gambling to protect him, he turns to tough friends for advice and protection.

He is surprised that his normally fierce, protective Irish Catholic mother is cowed by priests and nuns. He finds that some of his playmates and assumed friends will sometimes lie and cheat and steal, and hurt him.

Ottos irascible Uncle Joe confounds him. Yet, when he is threatened with expulsion from school, he turns to this worldly-wise uncle, who makes a mockery of the frivolous charges. Uncle Joe becomes his hero. But for how long?

He suspects his father is not an ideal husband, but he is an ideal father who has brilliant friends, and he will forgive Otto for the lack of foresight that continually leads him into unexpected predicaments.

Otto experiences pre-adolescent stirring by nubile girls, and wonders from his Catechism lessons whether the interjection is caused by God or Satan.

He discovers that the men in the marketplace during The Great Depression can impart infinitely more about academics and the world than sequestered nuns. Yet, when he exposes some of that knowledge at school, some nuns hate him for it.

Otto finds that his mothers fanatic Catholicism can lead to madness, but he learns from his fathers friends how to help her.

He realizes that Mayor Frank Hague is not an inspirational democratic leader, but the prototype city boss who skirts the law or makes the law to preserve his power. Could Otto enlist the power of a demagogue to preserve himself?