Alan Balsam grew up in New York’s in the 1940s, a time when neighborhood children rallied around common activities and invented their own fun and games. Looking back on the time and place, he remembers details of his childhood with striking clarity, inviting his readers to walk the streets of his memories as he tells stories about what it was like growing up in this era.

With captivating historical accounts of the Woodhaven and Ozone Park neighborhoods, Balsam explores their beginnings and growth, recreating their mid-1900s rural personality through descriptions and entertaining anecdotes. He also examines New York society at the time, particularly how children interacted with each other to create their own daily adventures.

Masterfully weaving historical events and personal stories into a narrative poem, The Pink Bouncing Ball blends poetry, history, and memoir in one engaging literary experience. Through it all runs an overarching theme: all it takes is a pink bouncing ball to shape a child’s imagination.