Such a beautifully-written, thoughtful memoir of Damm's early life in beautiful rural Michigan. The scope is small and simple, but the small-town eccentricities and accidental life lessons make it inescapably charming.

I really enjoyed reading this book. Each essay recounts his Catholic Midwest childhood in rural Michigan. The author does a wonderful job with setting and place of time. The writing is very good and the stories really pull you in. Enjoy this wonderful look back.

A quick, witty read for memoir-lovers like myself. The author focuses each chapter on a situation from different parts of his life span.

There were a few chapters that stood out like “Animal Crackers,” “Hell,” and “Nightmares” to name a few. I’d definitely recommend this book for others looking for something refreshing and not the typical memoir!

I love a good memoir and Peter Damm delivers with his coming of age story, set in rural Michigan during the 1950s and 60s. Readers will laugh, blush and cheer Peter off as we watch him experience the joys and pains of boyhood -- from picking blueberries and going fishing to dealing with alcoholism and loss.

The writing is gorgeous, simple and smart. I only wish I had half as good of a memory as Peter has (and I’m 20 years his junior)! It’s easy to visually experience his childhood as if I was his imaginary friend, following him along on his adventures.

My thanks to O'Brien & Whitaker, via NetGalley, for the electronic copy of this book to read and review.

Damm gives a damn, and has ever so kindly provided us with his memoirs of growing up in the USA in a very nostalgic time.

What a joyous book, I read it from cover to cover with only a break for coffee. Every paragraph made me smile or cry, sometimes both. The author wrote this book in a way that took me into his childhood and beyond offering the feeling that I was there with him, this despite the fact that gender, era, culture and class were very different to those relating to my own upbringing. A read that will bring pleasure to readers of all ages.

This book is like the refreshing palette cleanse of a light, fruity sorbet after a rich, dense and heavy meal. I enjoy all autobiographies, whether by the rich and famous, or the regular, average everyday Joe/Jane. I somewhat prefer the "average", as I am not, and never will be, rich and famous and I find there is a lot that can be learned from the "average" person. It is a great way to learn about the past, present and culture of an area, from the words of someone who lived it.

This book had a lot of humor in it, mostly from his stories of when he was a young boy. The bit about the nuns and children was funny, but also made sense from a child's POV. I admit to sharing that portion out loud with a friend. "Hey, you have to hear this!"

What I DIDN'T appreciate NEARLY as much, which is what made this drop a star to four, was the bit on masturbation. Yes, I know it is a normal thing, BUT I am not a guy, so can't really relate to what he described and it is kind of squicky for me to read about the sexual explorations of a 10-12 year old boy. That is a personal preference of mine, so that part might not be an issue for other readers.

I also found it interesting that while he went into his memories of self-pleasure, but he mentioned his wife once in passing and that was it. Just once, no mention of children or not. The book also ended after a pivotal moment in his life and doesn't discuss his work life at all.

All in all, I really enjoyed this book and want more. He has an easy writing style and is funny and very thoughtful and deep. The ending with his father was especially poignant. I recommend this book, especially for those who like autobiographies/memoirs. Great read, just wish there was more! I'm a tad on the greedy side when reading something I enjoy.

4, I wish this book had been longer and I wonder what his siblings recall of their shared childhood together, stars.

My thanks to NetGalley and O'Brien & Whitaker/Independent Book Publishers Association (IBPA), Members' Titles for an eARC copy of this book to read and review.