Campingly Yours: A Heartwarming Journey of a Lifetime at Summer Camp

by Thomas C. Adler

A tribute to family, friendship and 45 years at summer camp, Campingly Yours paints a poignant picture of character, charisma and courage, lovingly nested in America's heartland. Punctuated with vivid imagery and laugh-out-loud humor, Thomas C. Adler's moving memoir is a joyful, tender journey that is well worth the ride.

351 pages, Paperback

First published November 1, 2008

Reviews

[Rwerman · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Flash, you're lost in life now. Your hair is a mess, your clothes are straggly, and you're not excited about school... My perspective, Flash, is that you'd make a great camp director. You're too young now, but get your life in order, keep your shoes tied, and someday we'll talk about it again." When Thomas Adler boarded a bus to North Star camp at the age of nine, he fell in love with summer camp. At first, Tom was teased for his catchers mask on the ball field. But after he caught the curveball from a well known staff member, he gained the respect of the camp. After being a camper and staff member at boys camp for over 10 years, he moved on and became an owner/director of Chippewa Ranch Camp. Being a camper at Chippewa, I loved reading how the traditions of my camp came to be. Not only does this book talk about how camp came to be, but how his family helped him through it all. I found the last few chapters of the books very touching because Tom talks about selling the girls camp and the memories behind it. It also talks about the deaths of his parents, boys camp directors, and the girls camp chef. Tom has not written any other books. "I recommend reading Campingly Yours to anyone who has been to summer camp or wonders what they missed by not going to camp. And they missed a lot." Says Jeff Melvoin, a television writer/producer. This book reminds me of the book P.S I HATE IT HERE! which is a collection of humorous letters from summer camp. Many letters are written in the perspective of Tom on his first night of camp, and some of the letters are actually from Chippewa campers! I recommend this memoir to anyone who has been to summer camp or enjoys a story about someone so committed to something, they'll do anything to achieve their dreams.

FOR ENGLISH CLASS ^^^

[Lori · Rating 5 out of 5]

A unique story told from the heart ... by the end of the book you'll feel like a fellow camper. I wish I had gone to camp now that I've read this book ... but only if The Flash could have been there, too. An enjoyable read by a well-grounded author.

[Theresa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent book about life, love and family.

[Mary · Rating 3 out of 5]

A nice read, especially if you have any summer camp experience.

[Michael · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was an interesting read where the author tells you straight up that the memories are his and he did no interviews to make sure everything was 100% correct names could have been wrong and some events not exactly as they happened.

It starts with Mr. Adler as a youth and his older brother going to camp the author himself feels he never wants to go to camp then his parents send him the next summer to attend camp. He discovers a new world of friends from around the country. He makes friends that remain friends well into their adult lives. He ends up buying a girls camp and being a camp director and looking back on his childhood experience and how his camp director might of handled problems that arise. Over all the book was an interesting and quick read. The only thing that I did not like about the book was at the end of sections he would do a like thinking while falling asleep where he would say "hope the campers had a good day...zzzzz....My dad would have been a great camp director.....zzzzz" He recaps the chapter you read I started skipping the last page because of this.

[Ben Schulman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Campingly Yours is a great book to read if you are thinking about going to camp for the first time. This book is about a kid who goes to camp and loves it, and eventually becomes the owner of a girls camp. The author of this book, went to my camp and had a great time and met new people. I think that it is a great story for anyone, but especially if you are going to camp for the first time, because the author tells what he struggled with at camp and how he got through it. I though that it was a really heart warming story that really shows what camp is about.

[Renee Facchini · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Campingly Yours" is a wonderful book, however, Thomas C. takes a lot of time with his first few years of camping and races through the later years. It would have been beneficial for him to have kept everything at the same pace. The book made me melancholy for my days as a camper.