Pals

This is a humorous memoir that, at times shows the dark side of growing up in the 1950s in Dubuque, Iowa. His parents were alcoholics and his mother mentally ill. The author was a victim of physical and emotional child abuse. Fortunately for him he had five pals who helped him survive a decaying home life and decaying neighborhood. Learn how he used pranks and laughter to survive. It's a collection of short stories that follows the author from kindergarten to high school graduation. Be there for his first kiss, egg throwing, the great paint fight, the day he met his idol, Jesse Owens. Jump into the Mississippi River from the train bridge. Listen to the river ice rupturing in the spring when he walks across it. Hop on passing trains, join in the watermelon throwing contest, and be there when he set records in track & field. You'll be there the day Marilyn Monroe died and the times he helped change the ways America's does business. You'll also feel the tearing of skin from the belt buckle beating, the broken rib from being kicked with a steel-toed work boot and the pain of ears being ripped by powerful hands of an adult. You will feel the hopelessness of being locked away in a darkened closet for eighteen hours with no food,water or bathroom privileges. He had only the heat and cockroaches to keep him company. And yet through it all and with the help of his pals, he survives. This is a story of friendship involving five boys and one girl. It's a story about how this group became friends at an early age and remained friends for over fifty years. It's a story of conflict, trauma and escape. It's a story of love, respect, laughter, pranks and life. It's a success story. To an outsider the author's life may seem abominable. To him, it was normal. A "must read" for baby boomers.