The Summer of His Life

In 1969, life stood poised on the brink of perfection for 12-year-old Mike. He was sent to spend the summer at his aunt and uncle's cottage in northern Michigan.

At a time when innocence was a virtue and families and friends were the ultimate treasure, Mike is dropped into a world far removed from city life. He and his friends explore the joys of skunk chasing, homemade firecrackers, skinny dipping, water skiing, manure fights, getting lost in the woods after dark and the scariest of all, puppy love's first kiss. Life in the middle of nature, is hard, messy, hilarious and life changing.

Life could not get better, but it could get worse. His aunt and uncle's only son is declared missing in action, and for a while Mike questions every aspect of his life. However, when Mike learns that the father of the girl next door has a violent secret, Mike knows exactly what to do.

Of course, the story is about Mike, but it is also about a unique time and a wondrous place viewed through the enchantment of a 12-year-old's imagination. We hear wild stories of manly exaggeration, but his painfully written journal takes us inside a crumbling, fragile heart. It is the summer of his life, and sometimes it takes tears to let in the joy.

This is basically a love letter wrapped around going to a cottage in West Michigan in the 1960's. This is a fictional tale but some of the stories are based in real events. Okay, they were stretched a bit, just to make them more interesting. Many of us who grew up in those years will recognize common situations in life without cell phones, TV, or even flush toilets and running water.

The beauty of nature and of the people were the main attractions and still are, to those of us who have had the privilege of visiting cottages in West Michigan.