To the Editor:

Thank you to the Dorchester Reporter for publishing Bob Haas’s extraordinary story about his life on Monadnock Street.  As someone who came to Dorchester (also from New Jersey) in the same early 1970s time period, I was reminded by Bob’s story of the nightly house fires, the destruction of business districts, and the sense of hopelessness and desperation that many held in neighborhoods like Uphams Corner and Codman Square.

But throughout this difficult period, there were many great people, like Bob, who worked to craft solutions to the problems our communities faced, helping to create a revived Dorchester, one that celebrates its sense of place and its interesting and diverse neighborhoods.

I hope Bob’s book gets published.  The story of Monadnock Street is not only a story of Dorchester, but also a story of America in the latter half of the 20th century. It’s a story that should be remembered and studied.

- Bill Walczak
Savin Hill