By:Chris Munzing
In 1976, however, when Cuocci was 17 and living in Brooklyn, these problems paled in comparison with the one faced by his mother, who was dying of skin cancer. She asked him to help her end her life if the pain became too much.
Twenty-eight years later, the 18th year of CuocciÕs life is chronicled in ÒA Very Good Year,Ó a memoir he wrote that was published last month. Cuocci, who has lived in Long BeachÕs West End for the past two years, called 1976 Òthe best and worst year of my life.Ó
The book follows Cuocci through the year as he deals with what he calls the three DÕs: drugs, driving and death. He recalls days spent taking drugs, an arrest for marijuana possession, an abusive father, an unstable home life and the struggle to make a decision about whether he could fulfill his motherÕs wishes. ÒWhen she asked me, it was one of those defining moments of life where everything is either classified as before that moment or after that moment,Ó he said.
ÒAll I really cared about was having fun,Ó Cuocci recalled. ÒBut at the same time my mom was dying of skin cancer. But itÕs not a bummer of a book. ThereÕs a lot of teenage humor, a lot of sex, drugs and rock ÔnÕ roll.Ó
The story of CuocciÕs year has been on paper for years, he said. He first wrote it as a short story when he was a student at Brooklyn College. It then became a screenplay, an article in Newsday, and a novel before finally being completed as a memoir. ÒIt was acted out on stage at the Pittsburgh Playhouse,Ó Cuocci said. ÒThey asked when weÕd see it as a movie. But itÕs expensive to make a movie these days, so I decided on this.Ó
He said that when he completed the book, he was worried about what his friends and family members might say about the airing of some of their dirty laundry. He said he was most worried about his sister, and what her children might read about their mother and uncle. ÒWhen she finished it, though, she said that it was the most beautiful thing sheÕd ever read,Ó Cuocci said. ÒShe told me that her kids would have learned about her motherÕs life eventually.Ó
Writing about that time in his life, Cuocci said, has been therapeutic. ÒWriting about it so many times has helped me deal with it,Ó he said. ÒThis is the story that made me a writer. For my 17th birthday, my mother gave me a blank journal. I told her I wasnÕt much of a writer. Now, that journal is my best source of material from that time.
ÒA lot of people become writers because they have to,Ó he added. Cuocci has begun sending copies of the book, which he self-published, to various organizations that deal with assisted suicide, as well as hospices and teen organizations, in the hope that his own experiences will help teens in similar situations. He said that the book is already a hit with his son Michael, 20, and his friends.
ÒPeople donÕt realize how important an issue it is, and I felt I had something to contribute,Ó Cuocci said. ÒI expect the book will be a resource for adolescents, as well as a lot of older adults who are facing this problem. I hope it can help.Ó
Cuocci will be holding a book signing at Lazy Days Bookstore, at 651 East Park Ave., on Friday at 7 p.m.
