The Pact

by Walter J. Roers

In the tradition of To Kill a Mockingbird, The Pact explores the frustrations and joys of a boy as he learns the fallibility of adults and the subsequent loss of youthful innocence.

160 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2000

Reviews

[Laila · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5.

[Amanda Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reviewer: Amanda Smith

Title: The Pact

Author: Walter Roers

Publisher: New Rivers Press

Genre: Realistic Fiction

ISBN #: 0-89823-204-X

Total Pages: 160

Rating: 4 stars


In his powerful debut, Walter Roers portrays the childhood experiences that shape the lives of two brothers, Michael and Ron Dougherty, and their friend Ricky Stedman, during the late 1940s in Minneapolis, Minnesota through his fictitious book The Pact. In the beginning of the book, the boys spend their time playing pranks, and just being kids, but this tone is short lived because all three of them are forced to grow up prematurely because of strong family disfunction. For teens and adults who have experienced abuse or addiction, whether it was through family or themselves, this book would create a scenario that they can relate to. Also, this book is a great read for anyone who wants a story that requires some deep analysis. I would give this book a 4 out of 5 star rating, only because there isn’t really any ‘food for thought’ at the end of the book.


Contrary to popular belief, this book isn’t the typical loss of innocence story. Mike and Ricky weren’t always friends. To Ricky’s mom, Mike was one of those kids that everyone should stay away from. However, that disapproval just solidified their bond, and need to rebel. One day, Ricky confessed to Mike that his mother was abusing him because he ‘couldn’t pray right’. Mike wanted to tell someone and get help for Ricky and his mother, but the boys made a pact that stated that neither one of them could ever tell anyone about what was happening. As a result of this, no one ever found out, and Ricky’s mother eventually pushed too hard and she murdered Ricky. Mike now had to live with that for the rest of his life, wondering if things would have been different if he would have told.


A clear theme in the book was simply loss of innocence. Both Mike and Ricky experienced this because they were both forced to grow up prematurely due to the impending threat that was Ricky’s mother. Also, we see this through Mike when he decided to keep the pact and not tell anyone. If I were faced with the same situation, I would have told someone in fear that something like Ricky getting killed would happen. I wouldn’t have had the guts to stay true to my word and keep a secret like that for someone else’s sake. If feel like Mike was almost afraid to tell anyone about Ricky’s secret because he thought that Ricky would stop being his friend. This situation relates to the theme because from this experience, Mike learned that sometimes, people do bad things, and the world isn’t a perfectly safe place. As I mentioned earlier in this review, this book would appeal to teens and adults because of the loss of innocence theme. Teens especially can relate to the theme because they are experiencing things that will cause them too to lose their innocence.


This book has VERY realistic characters.This is mainly because it is based on the authors actual life, so he put his real life experiences into this book, creating characters that could very well be put in non-fiction. We see this through Mike’s character, because Walter Roers is Mike, and Mike is Walter Roers. Also, Walter Roers had a “Ricky” in his life, so by using Mike to portray his own life, he created a realistic scenario, because it was real. Mike really loses his innocence when Ricky was killed, and I think that it wouldn’t have had such a strong impact on us, the readers, if the author hadn’t experienced it himself.



Because of the fact that the author has experienced this event in his real life, the choice of perspective has a huge effect on the reader. He used real feelings, versus what he thinks losing an important person in your life would feel like. Furthermore, since Mike is still a child, his vocabulary is not as advanced as someone older would have. People who do not like single perspectives should not read this book because it is only in Mike’s point of view, versus us seeing Ricky’s perspective for example.


This book is a great read for someone who doesn’t want a huge novel, but still wants something that would provide enough detail to still provide a storyline. I would give this book a four out of five possible stars because I feel like the author could have added something at the end that would give us some ‘food for thought’. That said, I would recommend this book to anyone who is looking for a good quality read that requires some deep analysis.

[Hannah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Walter Roers, author of The Pact has effectively created great story about friendship, secrets, and trust through the use of two young boys’ friendship. Secrets are revealed that have fatal consequences, but telling them would be breaking a pact, and destroying a friendship. The Pact is easily relatable to young adults in this day and age because of the many secrets shared between friends everyday. Is there ever a time to break the trust of your friend in hopes to change lives?

Mike Dougherty and Ricky Stedman are great friends living in working-class Minneapolis in the late 1940s. In hopes to keep their friendship alive for years to come, Ricky makes a pact with Mike: They will both meet again in 20 years at Rotograph’s Drugstore. Both friends had secrets, some that are revealed to each other. Mike’s dad is an alcoholic, and rarely comes home sober. Ricky’s mom has mental health issues, and has strict praying policies in her household. When Mike’s dad goes off the hook, his mom makes sure he is sent to an institute to help with his addiction, but Mike is unwary, and does not want his dad to come home. Ricky makes a pact with Mike, and shows him the dangerous side of his mom. Mike’s dedication to his friendship with Ricky makes him keep the secret, causing him to lose something irreplaceable. “As long as there was a spark of decency, some fragile remnant of human kindness left in you, there might be someone to see it and nurture it and stand by you until you were whole again” (180), which was Mike’s feelings towards Ricky. He had helped nurture the human kindness out of Mike however hard his life was at home.

The Pact shows the importance of friendship through the darkest of times. Secrets that are kept can have horrible effects on people, but it is the decision of the secret-keeper to decide if friendship is more important than the consequences of the truth. Some pacts are dangerous, but it is hard to share them if friends have been instructed not to do so, as was Mike: “‘We have to make another pact.’ ‘Okay. What about?’ ‘You can’t ever tell anybody what I’m going to tell you.’ ‘Okay.’ ‘No matter what happens.’ ‘Right,’ I said” (127). The secret Ricky revealed, being that his mom beat him constantly when he said his prayers, was a large weight for Mike to carry, but his dedication to friendship forced him to keep it hidden. This has a very large effect on the characters of the book, and makes the theme stand out to readers. Readers of this book will be able to relate to the theme very easily because of similar situations in school. The Pact was aimed towards young adults for that purpose.

Mike and Ricky, along with other influential characters, are easily understandable because of their relation to real life. It is as if the characters could step out of the pages of the novel. The reaction to the secrets in the book are true to life, and could certainly happen in real life. Mike’s loss of innocence helps reveal the impacts of the pacts made in the novel, and are the main reason the theme jumps out at the reader.

Walter Roers’ word choice is understandable for young adult readers, and allows the focus of the book to be revealed professionally. The storyline is seen through Mike’s eyes, so it is under his interpretation. People who do not like dialogue should not read this book because The Pact’s secrets are revealed and contemplated through the use of character collaboration. However, using the first person point of view lets the reader relate to Mike and his relationship with all of the characters in the book.

This book is a quick read with a lot of emotional connection. It takes the reader on a journey through early Minneapolis, and makes them judge their own standards. Its abrupt ending leaves readers on edge, with many unresolved issues. Young adults over the age of ten will appreciate the simple complexity of the novel, and allow them to relate to it very easily.

[Alyssa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mike and Ron Dougherty and their friend Ricky Stedman all climb the roof, looking in on the men in the bar below them. Suddenly the silence is broken by the thud, splash, thud, splash of water balloons raining down in the bar, but the boys are long gone off the roof. This takes place in Walter Roer’s book, The Pact. As Roer’s first book, The Pact is an excellent read, but doesn’t give you something to leave you thinking. Mike and his older brother Ron, meet Ricky. They then start to become fast friends, play together and playing pranks. There is a darker side to Mike and Ron’s home life, though, as Mike learns the hard way that families aren’t perfect.

Mike Dougherty’s father tries his best to be a good parent, but there is one thing that gets in the way- his drinking. All Mike wants is for his father to stop drinking, but he realizes he can’t stop what is out of his control. Meanwhile, he meets and becomes friends with the new kid on the block, Ricky Stedman. The two boys, along with Mike’s brother Ron, play together and start mischief. Soon, Mike and Ricky start to share secrets with each other, secrets that have serious consequences. . .

Something that all children will experience is the loss of innocence and their good view of the world. Roers approaches this fact through Mike’s realization that his father had a drinking problem, and he couldn’t do anything about it. When Ron also expressed his hatred and strong dislike towards his father, Mike started to understand that sometimes your family isn’t perfect and might have serious issues. Mike also truly started to see what bad choices people make, not only putting at risk your own life, but the lives of others (as illustrated through Ricky’s mother when she murdered Ricky and committed suicide. Tween readers will appreciate the acknowledgement of this idea because they are, if they haven’t already, their own loss of innocence. It is also when a person is trying to discover who they are.

Mike truly wants his parents to stop fighting and his father to stop drinking. He doesn’t understand why, though, which changes as he is revealed why through witnessing more and more of his parent’s fights. The reader gets to see inside Mike’s mind, and can relate to when they thought that everything was perfect in the world, and when they started to look at the world differently. Mike’s change supports the theme because he became more aware of some of the things that happen behind closed doors, and became more mature. He also was forced to grow up and realize that there are people who do bad things, and that most of the time, you can’t change the decisions they make.

Because Mike is only 9 to 10 years old, his vocabulary is very small, and Roer’s word choice reflects this. The variety and depth of sentences in The Pact also reflect Mike’s age. Figurative language is kept a minimum, with a few similes and metaphors and little else. All of these things play a part to show the reader how young and innocent Mike is. Roer’s choice of having Mike be the narrator of the story allowed the reader to see inside the mind of a child and truly understand what a child could think of the different situations that Mike was in.

This is a great first book for Roers- you wouldn’t even know that it was his first! It compares to Harper Lee’s famous work, To Kill a Mockingbird in similar narration styles and theme choices. Many teens and tweens will enjoy Roer’s first work, with his new take on growing up.

Reviewed by Alyssa Wedin, 2/25/14

[Calvin B · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reviewer: Calvin Bowman

Title: The Pact

Author: Walter Roers

Genre: Fictional Memoir

Publisher: New Rivers Press (2000)

Pages:180

ISBN:0-89823-204-X

Rating: 4 stars

The Pact by Walter Roers is a fictional book following the life of a young boy Michael Dougherty. In this book Mike and his brother Ron make friends with a younger boy named Ricky. Throughout the story the children have fun committing mischief like any young boys do, while also having to deal with some very strong and difficult situations. Mike and Ron struggle with their dads drinking problem and their parents relationship deteriorating because of this. Ricky has many problems with his mom parents also, is dad died and he is now forced to live with his abusive mother. These boys learn many valuable life lessons through the book and end up greatly maturing as the story progresses, letting their childhood slip away.

The themes in this book can have great impact and importance in ones life. The theme of secrets cause harm is present in this story. This theme is developed throughout the many interactions between Mike and Ricky and also through Mike’s internal struggles throughout the book. These secretes held by the characters causes the them to be physically and emotionally harmed because there was no one else to help them. This theme causes great connection with the reader because it is most likely something that they have experienced by themselves. This allows a strong emotional connection with the reader and allows the book to make the reader think about their own life and how they can apply this like any good theme should.

This book does a great job of making the reader feel for the characters and their situation. It allows its audience to connect to the kids through the youthful and fun events toward the start of the book, then shows how the devastation and destruction of their parents affects them and rips away their happiness. The plot is not too complex but packs a load of emotion into a few strong and powerful events.

There were many things in this book that really intrigue readers, but never come to a clear conclusion leaving a sense of confusion and want to know more. The story may allow the reader to connect with these characters, and know them, but the way many are developed, there is never a knowledge of what had truly happened. There can be inferences made about somethings or some people, but depth in the background of the story is greatly lacked.

The settings are vague with not much detailed descriptions, but the way the characters talk about them gives enough general description of them to give them the importance that they need. For these places to contribute to the type of book that this was, they only needed the emotional ties to the characters which were received, a grand presentation was not missed as it would in other styled stories.
I would definitely recommend this book to anyone looking for it is a quality quick read with a very thought provoking story. With this size of book though, given its length, it packs what it has into its pages. It doesn’t go into too much depth into back story or thought of the characters, but does provide enough to make the story functional and very emotional. The Pact will bring both negative and positive emotions of joy and sorrow, leaving the reader wondering if they love the book or hate what it made them feel.

[Rachel Romkema]

Imagine the city of Minneapolis back in the late 1950s, the sound of cars driving by and the smell of smoke in the air, this is where Walter Roers’, The Pact took place. Roers’ story about three boys’ friendship is sweet with a strange twist that will leave you in shock. Throughout this book Mike, Ricky and Ron do many questionable acts that Mike is forced to keep secret. Mike and Ron’s father is an alcoholic and they must live with him even though he is always yelling at them and their mother. Ricky, on the other hand, doesn’t have a father but has a schizophrenic mom who is very strict and does something that is never forgiven.


Mike and Ron Dougherty are two brothers who meet a new friend who lives across the street, Ricky Stedman. They create a unique bond and share many adventures which almost get them in serious trouble. The boys also don’t have the best parents. Mike and Ron’s father is a serious alcoholic who struggles with this and can’t get it under control for his family, their mother won’t even leave him because he has supported their family even though he is constantly yelling at her and her sons. Schizophrenia is a serious mental problem and it is what Ricky’s mom struggles with, leaving her son scared and nervous. This disorder doesn’t allow her to think clearly and she ends up killing her own son right before killing herself.


Throughout this book a main thought is portrayed, the idea of understanding and trustworthiness. This theme was developed from the beginning until the end of this story and was supported by many small parts of the novel. Mature readers will enjoy this book and relate to the bond held between the boys and the struggles in their lives. The mystery behind what is really happening with Ricky and his mother is kept secret until the end and will leave readers astonished. The pact the boys create between themselves is so strong and they know that they can always rely on each other.


Mike Dougherty is a young boy who has always had an older brother and father to look up to but when his father becomes an alcoholic he must face the fact that he isn’t going to be the same. This is seen all too often in our society and it can make the story more relatable for people that may feel alone. During the book readers see Mike and Ricky understand each other's problems with their parents and they create a pact to keep it a secret. They put a lot of trust in each other to keep the pact and never tell anyone.


The way this story is developed will always keep you interested and the way it is written will not bore you by rambling on. For readers that love a good book with a good plot with mystery and lots of surprises. The relatability of this story makes it more pleasurable to most readers and gives them comfort if they are going through the same problems.

As a maturing reader I highly recommend this book and it will surely become one of your new favorite books. Developing readers can be introduced to different themes that are portrayed in this novel.

[Anna · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Pact

Walter Roers

New Rivers Press

Realistic Fiction

ISBN: 089823204

180 pages

Rating: 4 stars

Who knew separation from a loved one could be a positive change in someone’s life? Well that’s the case for the main character Mike in Walter Roers’s book The Pact. For those teens and young adults who have experienced difficult changes, then The Pact is the book for you. Roers’s book will paint a clear picture of how challenges and tough changes can affect someone's life.

The young boy Mike just wants to live a normal happy life just like any other person, but when he discovers his father, Pat has a terrible drinking problem, it flips his life upside down. Mike and his siblings watch their father abuse their mother in a drunken rage on a daily basis just because he didn't have a good day at work. After Mike’s mom realizes her husband’s drinking problem will not get any better on its own, she decides that enough is enough and sends Pat to a rehab facility. When it is time for Pat to come back home after receiving treatment for his alcoholism, Mike must ask himself if things have really changed and if so, should he still trust his father?

Mike was unsure how his father's drinking problem would affect his life, but as he put his life back together he realized that not all challenges or changes are bad. Most people believe that change is bad; however, having Pat removed from the family for a little bit helped Mike experience a fairly normal life. Even though his family was disintegrating in front of his eyes, Mike accepted that having his father checked into a rehab facility to receive help may be a positive change. Teens and young adults will enjoy The Pact’s serious take on change and its challenges. Even though some changes are difficult to deal with this book shows how they may end up being for the best. The reader is really able to relate to Mike because of the previous changes and challenges that they may have faced.

As a teen I would recommend this book to other teens or young adults. Readers can easily develop a connection to Mike and by doing so the reader experiences his anger, pain, changes, and challenges in vivid detail.

---Reviewed by Anna Dybvik 2/27/14

[Richard · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am nearly through reading The Pact, and am enjoying it thoroughly. It is a trip through a time when life was so much simpler, and families were more involved with each other, and also when you hung with your neighborhood friends. I have not enjoyed as much, other than To Kill A Mockingbird, and this book is reminiscent of that time period and friendship kids who were true friends. Walter Roers did a great job at capturing an era that no longer exists, and it brought back many good memories. His writing is spot on.

[Brenda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really enjoyed this book. Life as viewed from the young boy's perspective. Well written.

[Natalie R · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Pact
Walter J. Roers
New Rivers Press
Realistic Fiction
ISBN # 0-89823-204-x
180 pages
Rating: 4 stars

My favorite type of book is one that surprises you, and this book will definitely surprise you. The Pact by Walter J. Roers is a realistic fiction novel based on his childhood in Minneapolis, Minnesota. It is a mature book that every middle schooler will most certainly enjoy.

Mike and Ron Dougherty, and their new found friend Ricky Stedman, planned to have the best summer ever. They made a pact to have a friendship that would last a very long time. Long enough, that they planned to meet back in Minneapolis when they were 20 years old. Ricky shares a secret with Mike about his family that could be dangerous and Mike makes another pact to keep the secret that Ricky has shared with him. One morning, when Mike is sick, he notices an ambulance and the police at Ricky’s house and he runs next door to see what is going on. He sees something that will make him feel awful for the rest of his life.

The theme that is evident in this book is a good example of a real life situation. You never know what people are like until you experience what they feel and think. Mike and Ron spent a whole year hanging out with Ricky and they never once suspected anything out of the ordinary. On the outside all everyone could see was a normal little boy. When Ricky tells Mike his secret Mike doesn’t process it fully, he just shrugs it off. Then, when it was too late to do anything, Mike regretted keeping the secret. Everyone was astonished by what had happened, Ron and his parents had no idea that something so serious was going on in Ricky’s personal life.
Mike and Ron are two brothers that spend most of their time together. Ron and Mike matured after going through the trouble with their dad being drunk all the time. Ricky was similar to Mike and Ron in a way that was different within their own families. When they met Ricky, Mike and Ron both knew that they wanted to be friends with him. The first time the brothers invited Ricky to get ice cream, Ricky’s mother did not want Ricky to hangout with them. She was very protective with Ricky, perhaps because of their family secret. The secret that Ricky shared with Mike shocked everyone, because it wasn’t what anyone expected.

This book is based in Minneapolis, Minnesota in the late 1940’s.The setting is portrayed through the boys adventures. During the summer the boys were constantly racing to Rotographs to get “suicide cokes” and build snow castles. The boys were free to do most anything they wanted to do, with their mothers permission of course. Their father worked on the railroad and he would often get home late most nights because he was at the bar. They lived in a tiny, one room, basement apartment. Their dad was the only one who worked so they did not have a lot of income, though they lived contendley.

Overall I thought this was a well written book that was very enjoyable, yet serious at the same time. I recommend this book for every middle school, high school and college student. This novel is an unforgettable childhood turned into a book.

Reviewed by: Natalie Rydeen

[Don · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this in one sitting, from start to end, 180 pages. It's partly about the disillusionments of childhood, or as they say, growing pangs, but it is also about the learning how to forgive others and yourself for mistakes you've made in the past, while reverencing life and praying for others in their struggles by living a conscientious lifestyle that doesn't intentionally act to harm or judge others unfairly. In accepting what you cannot change, and adapting to circumstances in which you can do something constructive rather than destructive, is sort of the lesson gained. Very existential, and very well written, and non-moralistic in tone. I highly recommend it.

It also has a south Minneapolis setting. If you have lived here in the time frame of the story, that is an added benefit for enjoyment. I remember many of the places and things talked about, although the actual story takes place a little bit before my time (in my parent's generation, or half way between). An out-of-towner probably wouldn't notice these special references to Franklin Avenue as much. But it's still a powerful story that anyone could relate to, and appreciate, for its humaness and psychological message of healing after the storm.

This is my favorite juvenile read since my infatuation with Paul Zindel and his classic works in the genre such as The Pigman, and My Darling, My Hamburger, in years long since past.

It was neat how Mr. Roers worked in Robert Louis Stevenson's Garden of Verses, Mark Twain's Tom Sawyer, and the immortal Babe Ruth. I appreciated those subtle touches, linking him with the great writers and heroes of the past and the springtime of America's progrss itself. Despite our age difference, I felt that the author was of a similar mindset with common readings and appreciation of national experiences, with a larger knowledge of the Minnesota terrain as represented by the train ride, which also brought back childhood memories of trips taken with my parents that I look back on with fondness.

The author seems to have done everything right in his first published attempt. I'm greatly impressed!

[Missy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this book all in one day. It drew me in even though it was a fairly simple story (no crazy time travel or confusing relationships or something). One other more simple book I read all in one day was a Hemingway novel- so snaps to the author of this book for being in the same category as Hemingway. Speaking of alcoholics, this book deals with a family dealing wih alcoholism and getting by. There are other more simple parts of childhood covered too.

One star goes to this book because it mentions my neighborhood and some Minneapolis businesses that still exist. I also learned a little about a 'hood that was eventually razed for a major freeway.

[Patty · Rating 5 out of 5]

A simple little read of a quieter time. I loved it, especially having grown up in a nearby neighborhood at about the same time. I have a feeling this was more of a memoir, published as fiction. The 4th of July at Powderhorn Park brought back very special memories.

[Brianna · Rating 4 out of 5]

A small but moving book that packs a big emotional punch. I suppose some may categorize it as just another "loss of chilhood innocense" tale, but it's less pretentious and more impactful than most.

[Danielle · Rating 2 out of 5]

more like a cautionary tale than a novel. would've been better if i didnt feel like it was a sermon. regardless, i connected with some of the characters so gave it 2 stars instead of 1.