Wednesday, June 26, 2013

The Boys of ‘59; A great story for summer!

David J. Kirk author of Particular Stones



R.J. Burroughs does it again with the second book in his series, The Boys of ’59 by Martin Sisters Publishing.  This book picks up the next summer after The Boys of ’58.  It is about a group of young boys growing up in a small town in Oklahoma during a simpler time.  Burroughs, a masterful story-teller, is who I describe as a cross between Mark Twain and Will Rogers.  His book is a series of humorous vignettes about all the trouble 13-yer-old boys can get into.

In his second book, the author has paid attention to the developmental aspects of his characters.  Lead character, Sonny, is a year older than in the first book and is starting to show signs of introspection consistent with his cognitive and moral development.  Despite these subtle signs of maturity, there is still plenty of mischievousness to keep the characters and the stories funny and interesting.

What makes both these books great, in my opinion, is the calm and ease of presentation.  They are relaxing reads.  These are books to be read an hour or two before bed when you need to rid your head of worries caused by the intricacies of our modern lives.  Sure, the books take place in a less complicated time with wringer washing machines, outhouses, and fishing holes; it’s not just nostalgia for the times, but rather a way of looking at life.  Because what we did back then was laugh.  Something many of us have such difficulty doing today.

If you want some stories that are better than a belt of brandy after supper, I recommend you check out The Boys series.


R.J. Burroughs
Visit R.J. Burroughs http://www.rjburroughs.com/

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