Did you grow up in the ‘60s and ‘70s when kids were free to roam, explore, experiment, have fun without playdates and scheduled activities and (sometimes) get into trouble?
Relive your childhood while reading about mine.
We grew up in a time when kids played outside and parents had no clue where we were or what we were doing!
Read HILLCREST and enjoy a nostalgic read!
Hillcrest by Emilio S. Cot
In 1966, a 6-year-old boy moved with his family from the Eastside of Paterson, NJ to a new neighborhood; The Hillcrest section of Paterson.
It is then and there that our adventures begin.
Our protagonist and his friends explore anything and everything in their neighborhood and have the greatest of times that can only be experienced by being young and outside of the house… and away from their parents.
As they grew older, they continued to experience life to its fullest, but getting older also meant trying new things.
Hillcrest is a collection of thirty short stories starting in 1966 and ending in 1978. These formative years shaped the boys into the men they would become, as they entered adulthood and made profound decisions that would affect their lives forever.
Hillcrest is full of interesting people and life-altering experiences… And every single story is true.
Enjoy the ride.
READ ABOUT!
Our Little League Baseball teams
Playing sports in the playgrounds at School 27
Going to Tom’s and Dunkin’ Donuts on Union Avenue
Our classes and teachers at 27
Sledding on Richmond Avenue and St. Michael’s Grove
Goosey Night
Getting ready for high School
And so many more great experiences
“Our upbringing in hillcrest in the seventies was certainly as eventful as it was memorable. Emilio deftly captures each and every nuance.”
— Ralph Romeo, WPAT Radio Host
“Fascinating coming-of-age in New Jersey’s Silk City of Paterson in the sixties/seventies as experienced by an ambitious working-class kid. Revelatory, engaging, and universal stories. ”
— Marylou & Jerome Bongiorno, filmmakers
“The author has honestly and insightfully shared his loving recollections of growing up in Paterson. We learn about the neighborhood and people there. We can sense the love he had for those people and those times. Like any good book, it awakens a flame in the reader to ponder their own lives and memories”
— Steve Pricone, Author of “They’re Here You Know.”
About Emilio
Emilio S. Cot was born and raised in Paterson, NJ and has never lived more than 50 miles from where he was born.
He attended PS 27 and Don Bosco Tech High School (both in Paterson) before heading off to Rutgers College of Pharmacy and UMDNJ Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences.
Emilio worked within the healthcare/pharma industry for more than 35 years, retiring in 2018 and then beginning his life-long passion for writing.
Hillcrest is Emilio’s second book and is part of his portfolio of books, magazine articles, and storytelling presentations.
He and his wife currently live in Northern New Jersey
Events/Media
PAST
Book Signing Party at Uncorked Lounge, Totowa, NJ (October 24, 2023)
UPCOMING
Book Signing at Town Book Store in Westfield, NJ (September 12, 2024)
