Today I Am a Ham

by Ethelyn M. Parkinson

A teenager is eager to obtain a ham radio license while his sports obsessed father wants him to focus on making the high school team in this humorous and beloved story.

211 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1968

Reviews

[Randy Russell · Rating 5 out of 5]

The story is set in a small Midwestern town—and since Ethelyn M. Parkinson was from Green Bay, Wisconsin, we can picture it up there. It’s another portrait of an interesting family—similar to Rupert Piper’s and Trent Conway’s (from her other books)—but in this one, the main character, Eric, who’s in junior high, has three older sisters—well-defined characters who are hilarious in how different they all are. Their dad is over-zealous sports coach, and Eric worries that he’s letting his dad down by not being athletic—he’s a ham radio nerd! I think my favorite character is the mother, who navigates her nutty family and a busy-body neighbor with cool and humor—maybe she reminds me of my own mother, in a way. My other favorite is an electrical supply shop owner and local musician they call Mean John—if you’ve known this kind of eccentric, you’ll recognize him. Eric spends much time and effort both trying to raise money for his radio gear, and learning the skills needed to get licensed and excel at it. Since I know nothing about amateur radio, I don’t know how accurate or in-depth it is, but there’s a lot of jargon and slang—easy to follow even knowing nothing about it. I wonder if ham radio enthusiasts like the book? As far as the drama, you can see the various resolutions coming down Fifth Avenue, but no matter—it’s still a lot of fun—while having good insights into family chemistry that are pretty universal—while also being particular and quirky.

[Robert · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a ham operator, I must say this is one of the best fictional stories about amateur radio. It doesn’t try to impress by using a lot of technical knowledge, and introduces some of the radio language by having other characters than Eric Crane, the main character, explain the meanings. As the protagonist, Eric invites the reader to learn more and more about this fascinating hobby as he does himself. And he does it with a lot of humour. The book is not just about ham radio, but about family, about friends and relationships, about life. Kudos to Ethelyn M. Parkinson.

[Brandon · Rating 2 out of 5]

Read this book hoping it would be more involved in ham radio. It’s really a very dated read about a “Leave it to Beaver” family where a teenage kid is trying to build himself a radio while dealing with an overly-emotional drama queen for a sister.

[Barb]

Loved this as a kid and (re-reading it in 2023) I can see why.

[CLM · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was highly recommended to me by someone on the Betsy-Tacy list, and I ordered it from ILL sight unseen. I was very startled when it arrived at my law school library (along with a serious book on the Supreme Court) and I realized it was about a ham radio enthusiast (I guess I was expecting something more like Charlotte's Web!). I did enjoy it, and it reminded me a lot of the Herbert books by Hazel Wilson (which I should hunt down for my nephew).

[Wordwizard · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another should-have-read-years-ago book.

Frankly, I don't think it's one of Parkinson's best. It's cute, amusing, and a fun read, but not as directed as some of her others. It's more about Eric and his family than about him being a ham per se, just what's going on in his life while he's doing it. A better title might be The Tragic Coach's Son or some such.

Great read though. I LOVE the family.

[Daniel · Rating 2 out of 5]

Read this as a kid and I think I found it a bit dated even then.