The BAGO Boy
Young Urban Pirate
A Novel Novel
By John J. Bradley
The curious, smart, resourceful ten-year-old BAGO boy has doubts and many questions about religious dogma at his school. He is punished by nuns and abused by priests for asking unanswerable questions. To escape from their clutches, he becomes an urban pirate, embarks on a Huckleberry Finn river adventure with extraordinarily surprising results.
MEET THE CHARACTERS
Joey Ferrari
He was about a year younger than Brad and Em, the same age as Bernie, nine-years-old. Joe was an inch or so shorter than Brad, about the same height as Em, and went to school at another, much larger, Catholic school that was about a mile away from the Horseshoe neighborhood. He lived across the street from Abe’s Market and was one of the first neighborhood boys Brad met. Joe, as some called him, was with Brad on most of the trips taken on Turtle Pond.
Bernie McDonald
Lived two houses down from Joey Ferrari and they were each other’s best friend. Bernie was a science buff, nurtured black widow spiders and snakes in his basement, mostly in glass milk bottles. He went to the same school, about a mile away from the Horseshoe neighborhood. Tall for his age, nine, he towered over all but the local teenagers. He and Joey were inseparable.
John J Bradley
His nickname is “Brad,” but his sister, a few other relatives and Em, his friend who was a girl pirate, called him “Johnny.” Born in Philadelphia, he was living in a rural area of the city until the family moved to a more urban neighborhood, which he dubbed the “Horseshoe.” All of Brad’s gang lived there and most other characters in the book. Although Brad knew early on, he was destined to be a pirate, it was his getting his camera that prompted the idea of making a pirate movie. It wasn’t until he got a pirate ship, that he planned to make a movie about a trip to the island he discovered on a tugboat tour.
EM
She disliked having two first names, Mary Margaret, or either of them separately, so she her nickname was “Em.” Em came from an affluent family who lived in the Upper Darby suburb of Philadelphia before moving to the Horseshoe. Her mother was active in many service organizations, donating her time. Her father was the captain of a Navy destroyer, based at the Philadelphia Navy Yard, which is why the family moved to a historic home on the fringe of Brad’s Horseshoe neighborhood, so he would be closer to his ship. She was about the same age as Brad, and dazzled him with her self-confidence, smarts, and looks when they first met shortly after Brad moved into the neighborhood. Em proved her worth has a pirate, not a girlfriend.
Katie
She was a rat terrier that my mother got me for my 5th birthday, so she was about 5 years old when she accompanied us on our adventure. Katie was with me whenever conditions permitted, which is to say, when I rode my bike, she couldn’t go, otherwise, including in bed, she did. She was more tan than white, but both colors and weighted around ten or twelve pounds.
" Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good "
John J. Bradley
Inspiring, award-winning novelist, film and television producer.
John J. Bradley, Author, Filmmaker: I am The BAGO Boy and lived this story a semi-fictional account of events based on my experiences. I’ve been writing since I began keeping a journal at seven years old…
John J. Bradley, Author, Filmmaker: I am The BAGO Boy and lived this story a semi-fictional account of events based on my experiences. ’ve been writing since I began keeping a journal at seven years old…
ONLINE BOOK CLUB REVIEW
"The BAGO Boy" by John J. Bradley.
“Winner, 2025 International Impact Book Award”
“The BAGO Boy by John J. Bradley is a semi-fictional story based on events and people from the author’s childhood. BAGO, an acronym coined by the author in his childhood, refers to initially bad situations that turned out to be good. Bradley’s first BAGO moment was when a sequence of bad events in his neighborhood made him famous amongst his peers and inspired him to be a moviemaker and pirate. Despite the religious indoctrination that the young Bradley received in the religious schools that he attended, he had heretical beliefs that he frequently expressed, much to the chagrin of the Christian school authorities, who sometimes flogged him for that. Bradley’s thirst to find answers to the unknown (including challenging religious questions), his free spirit, passion for moviemaking, and aspirations to be a pirate led him to wondrous discoveries and adventures packed with BAGO moments.
I loved reading about the multiple adventures of children going treasure hunting like real pirates, with custom-made suits and boats, discovering mysterious creatures, and getting the fright of their lives. Every time Brad and his friends went on an adventure, suspense gripped me, not knowing if they would get hurt. I rate this book five stars out of five.”
Beve Drake
Executive Assistant
An engaging yarn with colorful characters, the adventure takes place in a Philly neighborhood that’s fun to revisit. Complete with heroes and villains and even a love interest, you can’t help but embrace these kids.
Carly Whitley
Grocery Store Manager
I listened to BAGO Boy on Audible. It made me look forward to my drive to work and back. Very entertaining! Loved it! I would definitely recommend it.
Cameron Vaughn
UCSB Student
My favorite aspects of the book were the characters and the way the story was told and the world perceived by the protagonists. A small-scale adventure was given a much grander meaning through the lens of a boy looking for a means of escapism. If I had any gripe, it would be that the scenes where conflict arises with the nuns tended to be very similar and overdrawn.
Bill Johnson
author of A Story is a Promise & The Spirit of Storytelling
I’ve read The BAGO Boys. I found it very moving; I shed a few tears at the ending.— It was perfect!
Mike Stafford
Former Radio Executive and Media Management Consultant
It was a fun read especially since it built momentum from about chapter 23 on.. I enjoyed .. usually I’m a huge nonfiction historical fan.. your dedication to detail and perseverance in writing truly amazing!
Maestro Len Bernstein
San Diego Physician
The more I read, I keep thinking that I’m reading a book similar to The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, only more contemporary.
Review from the Online Book Club
I rate this book five stars out of five. I loved reading about the multiple adventures of children going treasure hunting like real pirates, with custom-made suits and boats, discovering mysterious creatures, and getting the fright of their lives….Every time Brad and his friends went on an adventure, suspense gripped me, not knowing if they would get hurt. This book is well-edited and contains a riveting adventure in the third part of the book, which has a surprisingly happy ending…
5.0 out of 5 stars Rating
from an Amazon customer
“Great book! I read it cover to cover in one sitting. You will absolutely get caught up in the adventures of this ‘young urban pirate’ and his ‘first mate’ (“but she’s NOT my girlfriend!”) and crew. It’s written through the eyes and thoughts of a young boy, who is smarter than he thinks he is! His unanswered questions about god, Jesus, the ‘Virgin’ Mary, etc. to the ‘numbs’ (nuns) who give him SUCH a hard time at his Catholic school, are ALL questions that religions cannot answer! I thoroughly enjoyed this book and did not want it to end!”
5.0 out of 5 stars Rating
from an Amazon customer
“Great read about good winning out over evil faced by a young boy Captivating adventure story which conveys a message about how to deal with life challenges, all told by a young boy who grew up in Philadelphia wanting be a pirate.”
Don Steele
Filmmaker
I found the tales of The Bago Boy to be more than entertaining. As young Brad meandered through personal stories, creating vivid mental images, his tales were quite different from my own youthful memories. But Brad’s adventures did bring back memories I had thought were lost long ago. For me, a good story is one that causes additional thought and introspection, and I found many such stories in The Bago Boy.
Pamela Bradley
Retired High School English Teacher
John J Bradley has written a sincere and thoughtful ‘coming of age’ novel about his adventures as a young 19502 urban pirate in Philadelphia. This is a story of resilience, grit, and adventure and is told through the eyes of a naïve, daring 10-year-old boy. His antics speak of a bygone era where children were free to explore and were only limited by their own imagination. While it is easy to reminisce about the good old days, this novel also explores the dark underside of the Catholic Church and the secrets it kept within its sanctimonious walls. This story, told with the dry wit of the author, is a testament to the resiliency of youth, the power of imagination, and the importance of friendship.
From Reviews at Kindle on the eBook
I have to say, very well done! I liked it A LOT! I gave it 5 stars and just left a review at Kindle. I read it cover to cover in one sitting. You will absolutely get caught up in the adventures of this ‘young urban pirate’ and his ‘first mate’ (“but she’s NOT my girlfriend!”) and crew. It’s written through the eyes and thoughts of a young boy, who is smarter than he thinks he is! His unanswered questions about god, Jesus, the ‘Virgin’ Mary, etc. to the ‘numbs’ (nuns) who give him SUCH a hard time at his Catholic school, are ALL questions that religions cannot answer! I thoroughly enjoyed this book and did not want it to end! Celeste Vitrano.
Diane Seidel
Executive at AAA
The characters in the book were very vivid to me and true to my memories of how I viewed life as a child. I was raised Catholic, so that section caught my attention as an “oops, yeah…it was like that”. I really couldn’t believe how a book like this could capture and hold my interest as well as it did, but I actually did look forward to continuing to read the story.
I thought the book was wonderful and flowed smoothly. Bagoboy’s childhood certainly doesn’t relate to the ones in this day and age. My mother never knew where we were!
David G. McAfee
Author of a dozen books
This novel is powerful, and you can feel the real stories piercing through the armor of literary narrative, a quality that gives the work staying power. With elements of abuse and trauma front and center, this book forces the reader to ask BIG questions about life, death, religion, Catholicism, and much more. I highly recommend this one for anyone looking to sink their teeth into a truly compelling story with many lessons along the way.
William Wik
Manager of engineering division - media resources at the University of Minnesota
Great Book! Brad was a very adventurous 10-year-old. Unreal how you could have survived in that “boat!” Funny how the BA can push us to the GO. The book brought back memories of my 10-year-old escapades, although they pale in comparison with Brad’s. When will we see BAGO Boy as a feature film?
Joyce Grunauer
Beverly Hills, Ca.
I’m sorry to say I finished the BAGO Boy book because I really didn’t want it to end. I’ve enjoyed every minute and every adventure all the way through. The ending was incredible and powerful. What an exciting adventure for two young children.
James Chandler
author of “FASTLANE: The Internet Boom, Silicon Valley Start-Ups, and the Venture Capital Mindset.”
In the early 1950s Philadelphia, a boy questions his relationships with family and friends, nuns, and priests. From the humor and familiarity of neighborhood adventures to the darker elements of Catholic school abuse, John Bradley’s narrative comes alive with the voice of his ten-year-old self. Discovering a backyard treasure, with a newly purchased home movie camera, he films his pirate adventures, rallying friends to join him as urban pirates on the Delaware River. Lovely Em joins as a girl pirate, stirring new emotions within as she supports him in his quest. Dreams of cinematic fame lead him in a plan to overcome the oppression of his religious overseers. With an authentic and endearing narrative, The BAGO BOY recreates a time of young love, growing independence, and bold adventure in this coming-of-age novel.
James Allen
San Diego attorney
“I love it! The voice is terrifically authentic. You begin to live the life of young John…the story visualizes in your head.”
Socrates Pappas
San Diego Psychiatrist
The book is a twentieth century Huckleberry Finn adventure!
Dr. Karen Hawthorne
San Diego Psychologist
BAGO Boy works. Good job, my friend. I am laughing at the ten-year-old you, who both charmed me (curious, smart, resourceful) and annoyed me (a brainy, dyslexic Dennis-the-Menace pummeling questions at the world). And Em – the divine feminine. I chuckled at how long it took young Brad to reflect about how smart Em is, and (what?!) how she might be even smarter than he is…? Good characters throughout. On BAGO, I can see now how it ties everything together and is in fact the code you seem to live by. It’s sweet the way you reveal this to Em.
Rachel Bishop Steinhoff
Event Planner
The Bago Boy–Young Urban Pirate” follows the life and the incredibly inquisitive mind of a 10-year-old boy. Bradley’s use of dialogue has you sink into his world experiencing the adventures—and disappointments – this young boy faced. The story brought back memories of my own childhood, reminiscing about neighborhood friends, and how so much more creative our “fun” was back in those days. I felt it all…friendships, loyalty, first crushes, questioning the “why’s” in life, but also the escapism. It’s always heartbreaking when we’re faced with the realization that the people we’re supposed to trust the most when we’re young–parents, teachers, clergy – are capable of such devastating abuse. This story shows the optimistic perseverance of a boy that chose to rise above it all with his Errol Flynn spirit. By the page-turner end, I was cheering him on, marveling in what he had already achieved and experienced.
