Pinboy: A Memoir

by George Bowering

As a teenager, legendary Canadian poet George Bowering lived the life of an ordinary boy. He loved baseball, read Westerns, held a part-time job, and fantasized about girls and women. George was due for a sexual awakening, which arrived when he was fifteen. But what took place was anything but ordinary when George found himself vying for the affections of three very different his first love, the girl from the wrong side of the tracks, and one of his high school teachers. Set in the South Okanagan Valley in the fifties, 'Pinboy' is an intimately honest and often hilarious memoir that skilfully captures the delirious chaos that takes place as a boy becomes a man.

Genres: Memoir, Canada

320 pages, Hardcover

First published May 15, 2011

About the author

George Bowering was born and brought up in the Okanagan Valley, amid sand dunes and sagebrush, but he has lived in Quebec, Ontario, Manitoba, and Alberta — great sources of hockey stars. Along the way he has stopped to write several books on baseball. He has also picked up Governor General’s Awards for his poetry and fiction, and otherwise been rewarded with prizes for his books, except in his home province of British Columbia. His earlier ECW book, His Life, was a finalist for the Governor General’s Award for 2000. He lives in Vancouver.

Reviews

[S.M. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Yowza! Very entertaining novel about a 15 year old boy who really gets around in the Okanagan Valley in 1950. I particularly loved the conversations between him and his friends, very funny and authentic seeming.

[Robert Davidson · Rating 5 out of 5]

George has a way with words and his descriptions of some situations are incredible. Amazing someone so young could be so insightful about people and place. I am now looking at small towns in British Columbia in a different light with this book.

[Alessandra · Rating 5 out of 5]

A glimpse inside the mind of 16-year-old writer/poet living in the 50s in a small town - hilarious, touching, raunchy, reflective and honest.

[Mahfer · Rating 3 out of 5]

Where should I begin… first wtf is this title? He only spends half the first chapter about being a pin boy and that’s it… nothing similar to the main plot-which felt like o was reading a p@rn fanfic written by a middle age boy. It reminded me a lot of that Adam Sandler movie of the student and the teacher… also, kinda scared to think that… is that what goes on boys minds??? Also.. spoiler:
Can we plssss talk about the whole teacher thing how how that was freaking r@@p and ped@? Like bro… not okay.. u were abused my boy.. not funny
Weirdly enough and with no explanation I enjoyed reading the book don’t don’t if it was the writing style or the book style like brochure etc who knows .. um comfortable experience indeed

[Jan Tisdale · Rating 4 out of 5]

Comical biography as he gets to understand women in his life and his attraction to them, confusions in his young boys life.

“ He was sexually abused by teacher.
Wonder if Miss Verge was fired for abuse with young boys. Wish they would of told us more about young Jeannette “.

[Madeline Ferraro · Rating 3 out of 5]

Bowering in his teenhood, is the epitomy of a people pleaser? empath? an average teen boy? there was some gentle humour throughout, but also many moments of wtf? the memoir was provocative and uncomfortable to say the least.

[Marjorie · Rating 4 out of 5]

One does forget how things were in the 50s. I enjoyed this book on a number of fronts. I had almost forgotten that what we now consider children did adult jobs. I was reminded that children were up on 24 foot ladders, driving tractors, setting pins in a bowling alley, the underage spending noon hours in pool halls. This was a fast passed read of how many of us lived. It was all normal then, today, much of it would be shocking and dealt with in a very different way. This book will make you compare so many situations from then to now.

[Curt Moll · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not at all what I expected but I thoroughly enjoyed reading it.