How we cite our quotes: (Part.Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #1
In 1974 a federal court order to bus black students from Roxbury to South Boston High School [...] had turned the neighborhood into a war zone. (1.1.15)
This is our introduction to Southie and, well, it doesn't exactly fill us with good feels. According to Black Mass, however, residents are only freaking out because the feds are forcing integration on the city. There might be some truth to that, but given Southie natives' feelings towards outsiders, that can't be the whole story.
Quote #2
They came together as book ends on the narrow spectrum of careers available to Irish Catholics [...] on the spit of land jutting into the Atlantic Ocean. (1.2.5)
For residents of South Boston of Connolly and Bulger's generation, there aren't many opportunities to move up the social ladder. You could either become a cop or a criminal, and even then there's no guarantee you'd make a decent living. No wonder why Connolly and Bulger are so power-hungry.
Quote #3
To this day the neighborhood consistently maintains the highest percentage of long-term residents in the city. (1.2.9)
These days, pretty much everyone wants to leave their hometown as soon as they reach twenty, so it's notable that residents of South Boston tend to stick around. This makes the community even more tightknit than it would be otherwise.