"Southie was much more than a mere dot on a map; it was a state of mind."
So begins McIntyre's remarkable memoir, The Long Way Home, an insightful book that chronicles his journey from the streets of South Boston to the cross. Through his eyes McIntyre paints a mental picture of real life in South Boston during the 1950's and 60's and again in the 1980's and 90's capturing all of Southie's strengths and foibles. He writes with brutal honesty of his decline from a straight A student attending Boston Latin School to a violence and alcohol addicted teenager and his loyalty to the "corner."
McIntyre's marriage in the 60's posed a new problem. He had to choose between the "corner" and family. He chose family and moved to the suburbs, obtained his first real job with the Gillette Company and attended Northeastern University nights. After 25 years in the corporate world, McIntyre returned to South Boston in 1985 to partner in the ill-fated purchase of a liquor store from Whitey Bulger.
Twenty tough, tenuous years followed filled with Grand Jury appearances, a raid on the liquor store by the DEA, and ongoing investigations by the IRS as well as by the Boston Police and the Massachusetts State Police. The relentless media attention tracked each turn resulting in a civil suit, bankruptcy and much more. During this arduous time, McIntyre knew Bulger personally, therefore the book depicts Whitey Bulger in a slightly different light because their relationship wasn't dependent on crime.
In a surprising twist, even to McIntyre, he was "born again" at sixty years old in a spiritual experience that resolved much of life's early anguish and renewed his hope. The last three chapters relate how God works in his life with continual blessings and how God redeemed his poor life choices with a new purpose in life.