In this newest book by Rick Bailey, a wonderful memoir of his growing up in a small town in Michigan, readers will find all the qualities that make his other works so enjoyable . . . the narrative voice is wise and witty and insightful, the tone is engaging, the writing flows with the practiced ease of a master essayist. Additionally, because this is a reflection on how the child and adolescent were father to the man, Rick gives us the gift of being present with him as he shares his adventures growing up at that time and place and in his skin. He captures the sights, smells, and sounds of his development with extraordinary precision. I am a few years older and grew up in a big city, but for all practical purposes we were contemporaries; this book brought back to me all the excitement and terror of the American culture at a time when, as he says of a critical event in his life, everything that came after was going to be different. A remarkable, must-read book for anyone who wants to know what it meant to grow up in the ‘60s and ‘70s—and anyone who wants to read a writer working at the top of his craft.

Tumbling Up: A Memoir is available here at Amazon.