“Boy’s Life” by Robert McCammon

Boy’s Life by Robert McCammon

The following is from the book’s publicist:

“Zephyr, Alabama, is an idyllic hometown for eleven-year-old Cory Mackenson — a place where monsters swim the river deep and friends are forever. Then, one cold spring morning, Cory and his father witness a car plunge into a lake—and a desperate rescue attempt brings his father face-to-face with a terrible, haunting vision of death. As Cory struggles to understand his father’s pain, his eyes are slowly opened to the forces of good and evil that surround him. From an ancient mystic who can hear the dead and bewitch the living, to a violent clan of moonshiners, Cory must confront the secrets that hide in the shadows of his hometown — for his father’s sanity and his own life hang in the balance…”

Boy’s Life holds a place in my “Mount Rushmore” of coming-of-age novels that I believe every man should read and then re-read at various points in his life. My father gave me his copy when I was 11, telling me I would like it based on my imagination and my penchant for riding my bike and exploring the creeks in our semi-rural Maryland subdivision.

I remember thinking that I would never be able to finish it because it was by far the longest book that I had ever read up to that point in my life. I had just finished and enjoyed Crash Club, another of his recommendations, so I eagerly started reading this one and became instantly enamored by the new world I had stepped foot into. While this is a longer read as far as fiction goes, McCammon’s character development and sub-plots keeps it interesting.

I remember wondering what life must have been like growing up in rural Alabama in the 1960s when milk was still delivered to your doorstep (this plays prominently in the story). I kept thinking back to themes from To Kill a Mockingbird as I read this.

Like Cory, I spent summers in Maryland riding my bike around our neighborhood looking for adventures. I look forward to re-reading this childhood favorite this coming summer now that I have a son of my own who just learned to ride his bike coupled with the realization that we now live in an idyllic rural setting just outside a very small town that bears resemblance to Zephyr, Alabama.

This book would be ideal for any boy who’s around 13 or older, especially one who doesn’t like to read. In my experience as an educator, people who say this just haven’t a book or genre that they’re interested in yet. Boys in this age group are undergoing a lot of change. While they need help and guidance along the way, they also want to figure some things out on their own. This book will make them think about what’s real and what’s not, good and evil, and the pleasures and pains of being young.