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Bay Boy: Stories of a Childhood in Point Clear, Alabama
A charming, humorous, and colorful coming-of-age memoir
Bay Boy is a collection of essays by award-winning young adult author Watt Key, chronicling his boyhood in Point Clear, Alabama. During his childhood, Point Clear was not the tony enclave of today with its spas, art galleries, and multimillion dollar waterfront properties. Rather, it was a sleepy resort community, practically deserted in the winter, with a considerable population of working-class residents.
As Key notes in his introduction, “Life in Point Clear is really about being outside. . . . I have never found a place so perfectly suited to exercise a young boy’s imagination.” Key and his brother filled their days collecting driftwood to make forts, scooting around the bay in a sturdy Stauter boat, and making art and writing stories when it rained.
In a tone that is simple and direct, punctuated by truly hilarious moments. Key writes about Gulf Coast traditions including Mardi Gras, shrimping, fishing, dove hunting, jubilees, camping out, and bracing for hurricanes. These stories are full of colorful characters— Nasty Bill Dickson, a curmudgeonly tow-truck driver; I’llNeeda, a middle-aged homeless woman encamped in a shack across the road; and the Ghost of Zundel’s Wharf, “the restless soul of a long-dead construction worker.” The stories are illustrated by charming and evocative artwork by the author’s brother Murray Key.
Bay Boy is a collection of essays by award-winning young adult author Watt Key, chronicling his boyhood in Point Clear, Alabama. During his childhood, Point Clear was not the tony enclave of today with its spas, art galleries, and multimillion dollar waterfront properties. Rather, it was a sleepy resort community, practically deserted in the winter, with a considerable population of working-class residents.
As Key notes in his introduction, “Life in Point Clear is really about being outside. . . . I have never found a place so perfectly suited to exercise a young boy’s imagination.” Key and his brother filled their days collecting driftwood to make forts, scooting around the bay in a sturdy Stauter boat, and making art and writing stories when it rained.
In a tone that is simple and direct, punctuated by truly hilarious moments. Key writes about Gulf Coast traditions including Mardi Gras, shrimping, fishing, dove hunting, jubilees, camping out, and bracing for hurricanes. These stories are full of colorful characters— Nasty Bill Dickson, a curmudgeonly tow-truck driver; I’llNeeda, a middle-aged homeless woman encamped in a shack across the road; and the Ghost of Zundel’s Wharf, “the restless soul of a long-dead construction worker.” The stories are illustrated by charming and evocative artwork by the author’s brother Murray Key.
136 pages, Hardcover
Published October 1, 2019
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
September 19, 2019
Loved this book! It was so entertaining reading about Watt Key's childhood in Point Clear, AL. I relocated to Fairhope, AL - next door to Point Clear - and also found the history of the area, as told by Watt, engrossing.
August 26, 2019
Wonderfully diverting. Proud to have been asked to write the introduction. Watt is a gifted wordsmith with a winning sense of wit and timing.
June 26, 2019
Told as a series of essays, this entertaining memoir offers bite-sized pieces of a childhood well-spent on the Alabama Gulf Coast.
Mr. Key writes with no artifice, though his words resonate and make the reader take note of the world not only in these memories, but in the world around them too. It's funny how these stories rooted themselves so firmly. I told my 5 yo son, who wanted to keep a possum as a pet, the story of Smokey the gray squirrel. The way Mr. Key explained the letting go was perfect. A fishing tale conversation with my husband and father-in-law included Blind Dog scraping barnacles to attract convicts (a name I'd never heard of--we always called the grey striped fish sheepshead). The loving ode to the Tornado, Mr. Key's first car, gave me a glimpse into the pride and joy a teenaged boy experiences, while making me laugh out loud at their adventures.
Highly recommend for fans of Rick Bragg and Lewis Grizzard.
Mr. Key writes with no artifice, though his words resonate and make the reader take note of the world not only in these memories, but in the world around them too. It's funny how these stories rooted themselves so firmly. I told my 5 yo son, who wanted to keep a possum as a pet, the story of Smokey the gray squirrel. The way Mr. Key explained the letting go was perfect. A fishing tale conversation with my husband and father-in-law included Blind Dog scraping barnacles to attract convicts (a name I'd never heard of--we always called the grey striped fish sheepshead). The loving ode to the Tornado, Mr. Key's first car, gave me a glimpse into the pride and joy a teenaged boy experiences, while making me laugh out loud at their adventures.
Highly recommend for fans of Rick Bragg and Lewis Grizzard.
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June 9, 2019Imagine living life without smart phones, apps, and video games. Most people would claim it's impossible. BAY BOY by Watt Key gives readers a chance to imagine the impossible. Key takes readers on a journey into his childhood growing up on Mobile Bay in Alabama.
BAY BOY is comprised of 32 essays with titles like The Longest Day of the Year, Hurricanes, The Ghost of Zundel's Wharf, and I'llNeeda. In the essays author Watt Key tells of wild adventures, family and friends, and what it's like to live in and around nature.
Key, the oldest of seven, tells about fishing on the bay and stomping through the local swamps. He entertains with stories about crazy pets like Sally the possum, Smokey the gray squirrel, and the craziest - wild pigs. There are fishing stories about shrimping and catching sheepshead, called convicts in and around Point Clear.
Included in the essays are tales about road trips in the family's green station wagon that are sure to stun readers used to seatbelts and airbags. I laughed out loud when I read about Key's clever sibling loosening a bolt on the church pew that resulted in a loud crash and the entire Key clan sliding down the broken bench. I wasn't surprised when I read that Key eventually became frustrated with his chaotic family and at age sixteen decided to head into the surrounding wilderness and live on his own. He was surprised at his mother's calm reaction and condoning behavior, and after a few short days, he decided to return home.
For me the most fascinating essay was I'llNeeda. The title caught my attention as I scanned the table of contents. In it, Key tells about a homeless woman who came to live nearby. When certain household items and food came up missing, it was discovered that Key's younger brother was taking them to the woman. The young boy had simply responded to the woman's statements, "I need a …"
Author Watt Key is well known for his young adult and middle grade novels such as ALABAMA MOON, DIRT ROAD HOME, TERROR AT BOTTLE CREEK, and DEEP WATER. This entertaining collection of personal essays will be available in October 2019.
BAY BOY is comprised of 32 essays with titles like The Longest Day of the Year, Hurricanes, The Ghost of Zundel's Wharf, and I'llNeeda. In the essays author Watt Key tells of wild adventures, family and friends, and what it's like to live in and around nature.
Key, the oldest of seven, tells about fishing on the bay and stomping through the local swamps. He entertains with stories about crazy pets like Sally the possum, Smokey the gray squirrel, and the craziest - wild pigs. There are fishing stories about shrimping and catching sheepshead, called convicts in and around Point Clear.
Included in the essays are tales about road trips in the family's green station wagon that are sure to stun readers used to seatbelts and airbags. I laughed out loud when I read about Key's clever sibling loosening a bolt on the church pew that resulted in a loud crash and the entire Key clan sliding down the broken bench. I wasn't surprised when I read that Key eventually became frustrated with his chaotic family and at age sixteen decided to head into the surrounding wilderness and live on his own. He was surprised at his mother's calm reaction and condoning behavior, and after a few short days, he decided to return home.
For me the most fascinating essay was I'llNeeda. The title caught my attention as I scanned the table of contents. In it, Key tells about a homeless woman who came to live nearby. When certain household items and food came up missing, it was discovered that Key's younger brother was taking them to the woman. The young boy had simply responded to the woman's statements, "I need a …"
Author Watt Key is well known for his young adult and middle grade novels such as ALABAMA MOON, DIRT ROAD HOME, TERROR AT BOTTLE CREEK, and DEEP WATER. This entertaining collection of personal essays will be available in October 2019.
January 3, 2021
A nice easy going memoir told in short vignettes. Interesting thoughts on the changes to resort towns along the Mississippi and Gulf of Mexico.
August 26, 2022
Not as bad a book as my rating would suggest. I'm just not a fan of reading about deer hunting and fishing. But what could I expect from a book set in a small town on the coast in the South?
July 22, 2024
This book brought back great memories of childhood in Point Clear.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews