Cul-de-Sac War

by Emilio Iasiello

Genres: Coming of Age; Family Life; Siblings; Friendship; Literary Fiction

Synopsis

For the first time in more than 20 years, Mike Ianelli returns to his childhood home, stirring memories of a turf war that altered his view on his neighborhood, his relationships, and, most importantly, his hometown. Back then, he was eleven and ready to start his summer vacation in the Glen, his twin cul-de-sac neighborhood. But two things were going to make this a summer like no other. One was that he had to find a way to share a difficult, potentially divisive decision with his best friend. The other was that a standoff with the troublesome kids up the hill over the neighborhood basketball hoop had quickly escalated to something far more sinister and dangerous. Juxtaposed against this tension is Mike's budding romance with one of the sisters of the “enemy.” As everything builds to a fever pitch, Mike must face resolutions that could have a profound effect on his future. It's a season of change for Mike Ianelli – all triggered by the cul-de-sac war.

Release date: April 14, 2026

Publisher: The Story Plant

Print pages: 304

Sample

I don’t travel back often to the Fairdale neighborhood where I grew up. Connecticut is just too far away now, and the New York City suburb once known as the “Gold Coast” is more bustling, crowded, and prosperous than the sleepy hamlet that I have known or remember.

There is a rich history to New England, and as one of the original thirteen colonies, Connecticut shares a piece of that wealth. Prior to the arrival of the Puritans and Congregationalists, Connecticut was home to several proud Native American tribes. The Paugussets, the Pequot, the Potatuck, the Siwanoy, among others, settled in along the banks of Connecticut rivers or in the lush forest folds competing for territory and asserting their influence. Violent conflict between the tribes and European settlers was a common occurrence in those days. They made partners, they made enemies, but they always fought, finding a satisfying resolution in armed combat. During the Pequot War of 1637, English settlers teamed with Mohegan and Narragansett allies to eradicate a Pequot village in Mystic. In 1643, a two-year engagement known as “Kieft’s War” transpired in which Anne Hutchinson – a key figure in advocating religious freedom in the colonies – and her family were killed by the Siwanoy. Just one year later, 500 Indian fatalities resulted from the Cos Cob Massacre. Yes, Colonial Connecticut history is rife with these long-forgotten incidents, the foundation of its character having been forged by the blood and sweat of these early bloody engagements.

During the Revolutionary War, the Continental Army fielded many soldiers from Connecticut. The city of Lebanon was dubbed “the Heartbeat of the Revolution” as it frequently convened the Council of Safety, the group that wielded substantial influence in managing the affairs of the Continental Army. Connecticut’s most significant contribution to the Independence effort was as a logistics hub for the revolutionaries. Informally known as the “Provisions State,” Connecticut provided key agricultural, livestock, and manufactured supplies to the colonial rebellion with such success that England’s then commander-in-chief of British forces William Howe specifically ordered supply lines from Connecticut to be permanently disrupted.

Connecticut’s history with violence did not end with the fledgling nation’s independence. In addition to having approximately 210,000 men and women that served in World War II, the state’s industry was a critical supplier of weaponry and supplies. Colt (firearms), Pratt & Whitney (aircraft engines), Chance Vought (fighter planes), Hamilton Standard (propellers), and Electric Boat (submarines and PT boats), among others, were instrumental in manufacturing as much as 4.1 percent of total U.S. armaments during the global conflict, ranking Connecticut ninth among larger states. Furthermore, it was common for Connecticut companies not normally dedicated to the production of military-related products to transform themselves to better provide material provision to the U.S. military. These factories labored around the clock making rifle cartridge clips, shell casings, and small caliber bullets instead of their customary brass fixtures and upholstery nails.

After the war, Connecticut experienced yet another evolution in violent conflict: organized crime. As New York City was in the process of establishing what would eventually be known as the “Five Families” of the Italian mob during the late 20s early 30s, Connecticut became an open fertile ground for mafia groups seeking to expand their operations. With so many disparate groups jockeying for control over a limited amount of territory, conflicts invariably ensued resulting in the deaths of prominent mobsters in gangland-style executions. I vividly remember the 1981 assassination of Frank whose last name escapes me, a prominent capo of New York’s notorious Gambino crime family, and how his removal sent reverberations and a reshuffling of the power-elite throughout Connecticut’s criminal hierarchy.

Connecticut has not always enjoyed a privileged status reserved to those wealthy few that called the towns along the “Gold Coast” home in-between the hours spent commuting to New York City. Connecticut was once a leading immigrant destination. Cities like Bridgewater featured a checkerboard of eastern and southern European ethnic group neighborhoods. They brought their traditions and cultures and watched them steadily dissipate the more assimilated subsequent generations became. A series of recessions brought decline to a once proud industrial base as the economic climate shifted the very same factories that helped drive U.S. prosperity eventually relocated or closed. The gap between rich and poor widened. Those cities that couldn’t adapt staggered like punch-drunk boxers trying to find their legs, waiting for the referee to finish a never-ending standing eight-count.

The Connecticut of my youth was a mixture of all of these things and none of these things. Fairdale was largely a safe community, a middleclass town in one of the most affluent counties in the United States. It was everything a suburb was supposed to be. Quiet and removed, it was an idyllic place to raise kids. There were good schools and low crime rates. You could expect cold winters and stifling summers. It didn’t deviate from any norms. Nothing “unexpected” was going to happen. It never did. And adults were comforted by this conformity.

For kids, it was another matter. Fairdale was a place you were trying to escape from largely for the fact that nothing everhappened. You went to school. You did your homework. You played outside until you were called in for supper. That was the routine, whatever the season, rain, shine, or snow. No one worried about child abduction. Neighbors looked out for one another. As long as you didn’t leave the confines of the twin cul-de-sacs, you didn’t need to check in with Mom or Dad. Each yard was its own grid where adults policed whatever children were playing in their jurisdiction at the time. Today, all our parents would have been brought before Child Services for negligence, but that’s the way it was done back then.