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Debbie Number Three
It’s the summer of 1966 — just after Beatlemania and just before America’s belly flop into the Vietnam quagmire. Eddie Dodson is a sensitive smart-ass who comes from a dysfunctional family. His father is a feckless man-child. Eddie has a tortured relationship with him for reasons he doesn't understand. His mother is fierce but exhausted from being forced to carry the full load.
Eddie assumes he is as dysfunctional as his family and occasionally works extra hard to fulfill that prophesy. He redeems himself on an open lot where the neighborhood kids play football. He's the best football player in his neighborhood, and that's no small thing. So, Eddie is a jumble of generational insecurity, willful idiocy, and soulful empathy.
Eddie’s best friend (Debbie #1) is Debra Mayfield, although she goes by her middle name, Lynn. She is also his roadie, shrink, alter ego, and oracle. She has a crush on him, and he adores her, but he has no romantic interest in her. He has a crush on a neighborhood girl (Debbie #2) whose actual name is Debby — not Debra or Deborah. She comes from a stable family, headed by a decorated World War II veteran and successful businessman who carries a briefcase to work. He’s the kind of father Eddie wishes he had. Debby's the kind of girl whose hand he wants to hold. That is, he'd be happy just to dance with her.
Unfortunately, his parents’ marriage is unraveling, so he's sent to work on his aunt and uncle’s dairy farm while they work to decide whether it's worth saving. While Eddie's at the farm, he meets (Debbie #3) Deborah Gehring at the public swimming pool. She is volatile, daring, and determined. She concocts a way to coax Eddie from one side of the city pool to the other so that she can meet and size him up. She invites him to watch a Little League baseball game that night, then takes him for a walk around the neighborhood.
On their stroll, they pass an empty house that had belonged to his recently deceased grandmother. Though it’s boarded up, he shoves his way in through the kitchen door. The place is musty and dusty, but it’s private, and they drag a ragged rug into the living room, sit and talk and begin falling in love. It's easy, of course. Staying together, however, is almost impossible. They must compartmentalize their skittishness, immature missteps, past betrayals and personal tragedies. They also must watch the clock because the summer is ending, and they know their time together is short.
In the end, Eddie and Debbie Gehring learn that while love may not conquer all, it makes being conquered almost tolerable. They also discover the truth in the old East Texas aphorism — "A blind hog finds an acorn."
Eddie assumes he is as dysfunctional as his family and occasionally works extra hard to fulfill that prophesy. He redeems himself on an open lot where the neighborhood kids play football. He's the best football player in his neighborhood, and that's no small thing. So, Eddie is a jumble of generational insecurity, willful idiocy, and soulful empathy.
Eddie’s best friend (Debbie #1) is Debra Mayfield, although she goes by her middle name, Lynn. She is also his roadie, shrink, alter ego, and oracle. She has a crush on him, and he adores her, but he has no romantic interest in her. He has a crush on a neighborhood girl (Debbie #2) whose actual name is Debby — not Debra or Deborah. She comes from a stable family, headed by a decorated World War II veteran and successful businessman who carries a briefcase to work. He’s the kind of father Eddie wishes he had. Debby's the kind of girl whose hand he wants to hold. That is, he'd be happy just to dance with her.
Unfortunately, his parents’ marriage is unraveling, so he's sent to work on his aunt and uncle’s dairy farm while they work to decide whether it's worth saving. While Eddie's at the farm, he meets (Debbie #3) Deborah Gehring at the public swimming pool. She is volatile, daring, and determined. She concocts a way to coax Eddie from one side of the city pool to the other so that she can meet and size him up. She invites him to watch a Little League baseball game that night, then takes him for a walk around the neighborhood.
On their stroll, they pass an empty house that had belonged to his recently deceased grandmother. Though it’s boarded up, he shoves his way in through the kitchen door. The place is musty and dusty, but it’s private, and they drag a ragged rug into the living room, sit and talk and begin falling in love. It's easy, of course. Staying together, however, is almost impossible. They must compartmentalize their skittishness, immature missteps, past betrayals and personal tragedies. They also must watch the clock because the summer is ending, and they know their time together is short.
In the end, Eddie and Debbie Gehring learn that while love may not conquer all, it makes being conquered almost tolerable. They also discover the truth in the old East Texas aphorism — "A blind hog finds an acorn."
326 pages, Paperback
Published January 22, 2023
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
May 9, 2023
Worth the Wait
First time novelist Bobby Hawthorne waited until he was in his 60s to get around to writing his initial book of fiction. It's a damn shame because this is one to be treasured. Narrator Eddie is a pretty normal 15-year-old in small town east Texas in the mid-60s. He loves football, the Beatles and is obsessed with an unattainable girl named Debbie. He kills most of his free time with his best friend, improbably also named Debbie, although she goes by Lynn. When Eddie's parents' marriage starts to fall apart, he's sent to spend the summer at his Aunt and Uncle's farm. There he starts to learn life lessons and, of course, meets the titular Debbie number three. What starts as a somewhat tentative, if likeable, coming-of- age tale blossoms into a novel of remarkable depth; a touching meditation on family, first love and those awkward early steps toward becoming an adult. It's not shocking that Hawthorne, a long-admired guru for high school journalists,writes this well but it's still a rush to find that his first foray into fiction hits the bullseye. Let's hope he has more in him. Recommended for fans of Cameron Crowe or Tim Sandlin's GroVont trilogy.
First time novelist Bobby Hawthorne waited until he was in his 60s to get around to writing his initial book of fiction. It's a damn shame because this is one to be treasured. Narrator Eddie is a pretty normal 15-year-old in small town east Texas in the mid-60s. He loves football, the Beatles and is obsessed with an unattainable girl named Debbie. He kills most of his free time with his best friend, improbably also named Debbie, although she goes by Lynn. When Eddie's parents' marriage starts to fall apart, he's sent to spend the summer at his Aunt and Uncle's farm. There he starts to learn life lessons and, of course, meets the titular Debbie number three. What starts as a somewhat tentative, if likeable, coming-of- age tale blossoms into a novel of remarkable depth; a touching meditation on family, first love and those awkward early steps toward becoming an adult. It's not shocking that Hawthorne, a long-admired guru for high school journalists,writes this well but it's still a rush to find that his first foray into fiction hits the bullseye. Let's hope he has more in him. Recommended for fans of Cameron Crowe or Tim Sandlin's GroVont trilogy.
April 4, 2023
Nobody can turn a phrase like Bobby Hawthorne. In his debut novel, Hawthorne turns his critical eye and extraordinary wit and insight to the 1960s, to the life of Eddie Dodson, his 15-year-old narrator from a small town in East Texas.
Eddie is a typical teenage boy in his love of the Beatles, football, and Debbie number one - the town "it" girl. As summer approaches and his parents' marriage begins to self-destruct, Eddie's life takes a turn that carries him away from home and his best friend, Debbie #2 (who goes by the name "Lynn"), to his uncle's farm and family. As Eddie becomes determined to use this opportunity to sharpen his work ethic and become a man of his word, he meets the third Debby who will open his heart and eyes to the cruelties of small minds and the injustices leveraged by the powerful to maintain status quo.
Through Eddie's coming of age, we hear Hawthorne's searing observations and are reminded of that awesome time of life when, as teenagers, we first realized the hypocrisy that surrounded us and resolved to do better than previous generations. In one key scene, Eddie's internal monologue speaks miles to the wisdom of youth:
"Perhaps the big cities can tolerate a few shades of gray, but small towns can’t, not that they want to. If one line gets blurred, they’ll paint another one. The only question is, “When and where and why and how and with what?” Small town people need lines. They need fences and stalls and borders. They need directions and paint-by-number instructions. They need rules that carry consequences. Otherwise, people are forced to think for themselves, and that’s a recipe for chaos because it eliminates the need for God. Small town people need God to remind them not to lie to, steal from, cheat on, or kill each other. They need God to define for them the nature and wages of sin."
And man, Hawthorne can crack you up with the simple turn of a phrase, with his almost perfect dialogue. At times, he chooses to slip away from Eddie to explore the past through another character's experiences, at which point the tone of the novel shifts and feels a bit removed from Eddie's story. Still, "Debbie Number Three" delivered extraordinary characters and a perfect teenage plot that would make for a prime John Hughes '80s movie.
Eddie is a typical teenage boy in his love of the Beatles, football, and Debbie number one - the town "it" girl. As summer approaches and his parents' marriage begins to self-destruct, Eddie's life takes a turn that carries him away from home and his best friend, Debbie #2 (who goes by the name "Lynn"), to his uncle's farm and family. As Eddie becomes determined to use this opportunity to sharpen his work ethic and become a man of his word, he meets the third Debby who will open his heart and eyes to the cruelties of small minds and the injustices leveraged by the powerful to maintain status quo.
Through Eddie's coming of age, we hear Hawthorne's searing observations and are reminded of that awesome time of life when, as teenagers, we first realized the hypocrisy that surrounded us and resolved to do better than previous generations. In one key scene, Eddie's internal monologue speaks miles to the wisdom of youth:
"Perhaps the big cities can tolerate a few shades of gray, but small towns can’t, not that they want to. If one line gets blurred, they’ll paint another one. The only question is, “When and where and why and how and with what?” Small town people need lines. They need fences and stalls and borders. They need directions and paint-by-number instructions. They need rules that carry consequences. Otherwise, people are forced to think for themselves, and that’s a recipe for chaos because it eliminates the need for God. Small town people need God to remind them not to lie to, steal from, cheat on, or kill each other. They need God to define for them the nature and wages of sin."
And man, Hawthorne can crack you up with the simple turn of a phrase, with his almost perfect dialogue. At times, he chooses to slip away from Eddie to explore the past through another character's experiences, at which point the tone of the novel shifts and feels a bit removed from Eddie's story. Still, "Debbie Number Three" delivered extraordinary characters and a perfect teenage plot that would make for a prime John Hughes '80s movie.
May 2, 2023
Proving teachers can DO as well as teach, Bobby Hawthorne's debut novel does not disappoint as a coming-of-age story set in late 1960s Texas.
Kirkus calls it a Young Adult novel. No matter. I savored every minute of this tender -- often funny -- story about young love and toxic family situations.
Eddie Dodson is 15. The story is from his point of view.
How autobiographical might the story be?
Here's what Hawthorne told an Amazon interviewer:"Someone wrote, 'Fiction is autobiography, and all autobiography is mostly fiction.' Some of it is based on a summer I spent working on my aunt and uncle's farm. Some is based on a neighborhood I grew up in. The rest of it springs from a sort of deductive imagination."
Full disclosure: I've known Bobby Hawthorne for years as a renowned writing coach for scholastic journalists. When I taught scholastic journalism, I used his "The Radical Write" textbook. He's a fabulous speaker and journalist who knows how to turn young teens into great fact-based .storytellers. I hope he doesn't wait another 10 years to write novel #2.
Kirkus calls it a Young Adult novel. No matter. I savored every minute of this tender -- often funny -- story about young love and toxic family situations.
Eddie Dodson is 15. The story is from his point of view.
How autobiographical might the story be?
Here's what Hawthorne told an Amazon interviewer:"Someone wrote, 'Fiction is autobiography, and all autobiography is mostly fiction.' Some of it is based on a summer I spent working on my aunt and uncle's farm. Some is based on a neighborhood I grew up in. The rest of it springs from a sort of deductive imagination."
Full disclosure: I've known Bobby Hawthorne for years as a renowned writing coach for scholastic journalists. When I taught scholastic journalism, I used his "The Radical Write" textbook. He's a fabulous speaker and journalist who knows how to turn young teens into great fact-based .storytellers. I hope he doesn't wait another 10 years to write novel #2.
December 31, 2022
I'm a sucker for coming of age stories, and I rank this one as one of the best I've read. I enjoyed getting to know Eddie and the three Debbies and watching them navigate their way through adolescence. The characters ring so true and are incredibly relatable. Among the supporting cast, Eddie's mother particularly stands out, as does Debbie number three's mother. The author does an excellent job getting into the minds of all the characters, and especially the females.
Reading DEBBIE NUMBER THREE was like being transported in time to the East Texas of Eddie's youth. The scenes were so well-drawn that I could almost see, smell, and touch my surroundings. The story is wonderfully told, a joyous and poignant look at the pain and wonder of growing up. I highly recommend it.
Reading DEBBIE NUMBER THREE was like being transported in time to the East Texas of Eddie's youth. The scenes were so well-drawn that I could almost see, smell, and touch my surroundings. The story is wonderfully told, a joyous and poignant look at the pain and wonder of growing up. I highly recommend it.
January 5, 2023
A beautiful coming-of-age novel the combines the regionalism and story-telling of Larry McMurtry with the nostalgia of A Christmas Story.
Hawthorne doesn’t hide the issues rampant in life in the US during the 60s. Those issues are interwoven through this story of small town Texas and Eddie, the main character, who navigates all the hardships and heartaches and of a young man finding his way through a life that is both familiar and realistic. And even though the book is set during the 60s, readers will be able to relate.
Coming-of-age stories can be tough, but Hawthorne gives his readers a heartfelt page-turner about a time of great change in the country.
If you enjoyed The Last Picture Show, you will enjoy Debbie Number Three.
*CW SA
Hawthorne doesn’t hide the issues rampant in life in the US during the 60s. Those issues are interwoven through this story of small town Texas and Eddie, the main character, who navigates all the hardships and heartaches and of a young man finding his way through a life that is both familiar and realistic. And even though the book is set during the 60s, readers will be able to relate.
Coming-of-age stories can be tough, but Hawthorne gives his readers a heartfelt page-turner about a time of great change in the country.
If you enjoyed The Last Picture Show, you will enjoy Debbie Number Three.
*CW SA
December 30, 2023
I wonder how many readers will glimpse their own coming-of-age stories in Debbie Number Three? I know I did, though I grew up in a different time and place than Eddie Dodson in 1960s east Texas. Do you remember those endlessly hot summer days and weeks running into one another until, one summer, everything changed in the blink of an eye? Whether it was a first love, a first job, a dismantling family unit, or starting to see your folks for the people they are when they’re not mom and dad. For Eddie, all of these things happen in one summer. All at once, this book is as languid as those July days of your youth and as urgent as trying to slow time down before summer ends.
I might be a little partial to Bobby Hawthorne’s writing — after all, it was during a doggedly hot week in August when fifteen-year-old me took his class and learned to love language. As anyone who knows Bobby probably expected, this novel is a master class in character development. I found myself, like Eddie, wishing I could slow the tick-tick-ticking of time and keep reading.
I might be a little partial to Bobby Hawthorne’s writing — after all, it was during a doggedly hot week in August when fifteen-year-old me took his class and learned to love language. As anyone who knows Bobby probably expected, this novel is a master class in character development. I found myself, like Eddie, wishing I could slow the tick-tick-ticking of time and keep reading.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews