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Quit School!: Eight Humorous Short Stories
I was sitting at a bar in Sausalito, California looking out at San Francisco Bay remembering the people of my hometown. Like so many others, my journey had taken me far from my roots. My life was driven by an ambition I could no longer identify.
I was remembering Captain Kolonick, a blind shellfish dealer, I worked for when I was twelve years old who had taught me the deeper meaning of forgiveness. I was remembering Elder McGee, the father of a hillbilly family who, while he was teaching me to hunt, taught me to take responsibility for everything I did. I was remembering Crooked Ass Annie, the wonderful old crone who roamed our town and taught me to always look for the truth below the surface of things.
That same night in San Francisco I began to write QUIT SCHOOL! If you can smile at yourself, you will laugh out loud when you read QUIT SCHOOL! Humble people are rarely ambitious but simply go about the business of being themselves. The eight characters in QUIT SCHOOL! reminded me of the central lesson I had forgotten....SIMPLY BE YOURSELF.
I was remembering Captain Kolonick, a blind shellfish dealer, I worked for when I was twelve years old who had taught me the deeper meaning of forgiveness. I was remembering Elder McGee, the father of a hillbilly family who, while he was teaching me to hunt, taught me to take responsibility for everything I did. I was remembering Crooked Ass Annie, the wonderful old crone who roamed our town and taught me to always look for the truth below the surface of things.
That same night in San Francisco I began to write QUIT SCHOOL! If you can smile at yourself, you will laugh out loud when you read QUIT SCHOOL! Humble people are rarely ambitious but simply go about the business of being themselves. The eight characters in QUIT SCHOOL! reminded me of the central lesson I had forgotten....SIMPLY BE YOURSELF.
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First published January 1, 2013
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About the author
Francis Bennett
20 books9 followersFrancis lives in Scottsdale, Arizona. To learn more about the author, please visit his website at: www.francisbennettcreative.com
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
February 20, 2013
A good story can transport you… to another time, another place, another life.
"Quit School!" does just that by putting us inside young John White who is under the age of 17 and living in New York during the 1950s. We go hunting, crabbing, clamming and fishing, like most boys in that time and we visit a haunted house, a race track, a blind captain’s tool shed and more.
Bennett writes with the kind of description that makes you feel you’ve been there, and it is still a faint memory. For example, when describing the head of the McGee household, he says, “…but there was something about him that gave me the willies. He had a ruddy face, like a farmer’s, and black eyes that stared instead of looked.”
In describing a vagrant visiting a wake, Bennett says, “He was dressed in a long World War II army coat that almost touched the floor. His shoes were wrapped with tape to hold the uppers to the soles, and the faded green work pants he wore were three sizes too big for him. His beard was white stubble, the exact color of his tousled hair. He was clearly down on his luck.” Vivid descriptions like these live throughout all eight stories.
My favorite of the eight in By 17 was that of “Crooked Ass Annie,” a haunting, malformed character who wondered the streets growling at children and snarling at grownups. John White attempts to follow her one summer, and in the process almost becomes one of the “Missin kids”. The story makes you wonder if it was real or a dream.
The eight tales in "Quit School" are a delightful read that charm and intrigue us without appearing overbearing. Adults and children will equally enjoy John White’s experiences and find, by the end of the last one, that they wish for more.
"Quit School!" does just that by putting us inside young John White who is under the age of 17 and living in New York during the 1950s. We go hunting, crabbing, clamming and fishing, like most boys in that time and we visit a haunted house, a race track, a blind captain’s tool shed and more.
Bennett writes with the kind of description that makes you feel you’ve been there, and it is still a faint memory. For example, when describing the head of the McGee household, he says, “…but there was something about him that gave me the willies. He had a ruddy face, like a farmer’s, and black eyes that stared instead of looked.”
In describing a vagrant visiting a wake, Bennett says, “He was dressed in a long World War II army coat that almost touched the floor. His shoes were wrapped with tape to hold the uppers to the soles, and the faded green work pants he wore were three sizes too big for him. His beard was white stubble, the exact color of his tousled hair. He was clearly down on his luck.” Vivid descriptions like these live throughout all eight stories.
My favorite of the eight in By 17 was that of “Crooked Ass Annie,” a haunting, malformed character who wondered the streets growling at children and snarling at grownups. John White attempts to follow her one summer, and in the process almost becomes one of the “Missin kids”. The story makes you wonder if it was real or a dream.
The eight tales in "Quit School" are a delightful read that charm and intrigue us without appearing overbearing. Adults and children will equally enjoy John White’s experiences and find, by the end of the last one, that they wish for more.
November 25, 2013
I received this book as a goodreads giveaway. I tried to get into the stories and pick up on the lessons. Unfortunately I failed at understanding them all. This was a sad book. Not much humor. They were decent stories though, he is a good story teller.
February 27, 2012
Great collection of stories that everyone can relate to about growing up. Very engaging and well written, the "crabber" speaks to you and makes you feel as though you found a long lost friend.
May 21, 2012
An unforgettable collection of stories!
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews