Bill Rivers

Last Summer Boys by Bill Rivers is a 2022 Lake Union Publication.

In the summer of 1968, thirteen-year-old Jack Elliot overhears a conversation about how famous people seem able to avoid the draft. With Pete, his older brother, about to turn eighteen, he launches a plan to make him so famous he won’t be drafted.

In the meantime, Jack’s cousin, Frankie, comes to live with them for the summer. The pair concoct several scenarios that will keep Pete safe, all while Jack’s brothers try show more their best to prove Frankie, a city boy, can’t cut it in rural Pennsylvania.

As the summer progresses, and Frankie adjusts to life in a small Pennsylvania community, a series of serious issues arise, plans to save Pete are continuously thwarted, and both Jack and Frankie learn many valuable lessons about life, love, and family. I really enjoyed this story because it so perfectly captures that moment when childhood innocence begins to slip away.

Each test of mettle cracks the outer shell of Jack’s sheltered existence. His cousin, Frankie, leaves an indelible mark on Jack, and his own experiences help to pull Jack as gently as possible toward the harsher realities of the world. Through Frankie, Jack learns to face hard truths, and, in the process, they both rise to the occasion in ways he never would have imagined.

Though I’m younger than Jack, I could relate to the anxieties he felt—the uncertainties and unease of those tumultuous times. The book reminded me of the innocence we had at that age, which feels a world away from today. I remember going on grand adventures with friends; though the world could be a scary place, we weren’t oblivious to it- but there was a shared refusal to step outside our protective bubble, hoping to prolong childhood as long as possible—despite our protestations to the contrary.

This is what appeals to me most about this book: it captures a time and a place that can't be recaptured except by people of a certain age who can truly feel and understand what childhood was like in small rural areas in the late sixties. There's something a bit wistful about that, especially now.

But the story also touches on the Vietnam war, ‘progression’ by greedy developers that threatens Jack’s family directly, the bonds of brotherhood and family, and the power of community. Rural Pennsylvania is a great setting, perfectly capturing those lazy summer days in such a way it nearly became a character in and of itself.

Overall, this story is poignant, nostalgic, heartbreaking at times, but ultimately a feel-good, heartwarming piece of historical fiction. show less

A terrific story reminiscent of “Stand By Me,” which many reviewers mention. Back when I taught junior high English, this would have been a great YA book to have recommended to my students. One thing bothered me about the narrative technique Rivers used, however. His narrator is a rural tween boy, and like most kids that age and from the back woods, Jack’s grammar isn’t stellar. So, he uses “aint”s and “He don’t”s but it’s part of the narrator’s beautiful style that no show more tween would use. Presumably, the narrator is now an adult, so why not save the poor grammar for dialogue used by Jack, not in his adult narration. I found the mixture to be distracting. I’m surprised an editor didn’t discourage Rivers from using this style. Overall, though, “Last Summer Boys” is a terrific book for adults and kids. show less

I am participating in the Kindle Summer Reading challenge and one of the options was to read one of their summer picks. I chose Last Summer Boys, partially because it was set in Pennsylvania. The story takes place in the summer of 1968 and revolves around the Elliott family that includes three brothers, Jack, the youngest, along with Pete and Will. They are joined by cousin Francis who is sent away from the city to escape the riots and fires.

Jack is determined to keep Pete, who turns 18 on show more the 4th of July, away from Vietnam by making him famous. He even has a plan for how to do it and enlists Francis's help. Things don't turn out the way he thinks and the book takes a surprising and dark turn that gives this coming-of-age novel a gripping twice.

Besides being an excellent story teller, Bill Rivers writes beautiful prose. I found myself highlighting descriptive passages that made me slow down and savor. show less

There was so much to like about this book especially hearkening back in time to a gentler, more family-oriented place. A time when boys could go into the woods to establish their own camping grounds, name it and remember it into adulthood. A time when country boys welcome their city cousin into their fold and teach him while testing him. A time when brothers look to protect each other and devise all sorts of plots and plans to accomplish it. 1968 - A time so many of us remember with mixed show more feelings.

Rivers hits so many memories squarely on the head and drives in each nail. He reminds us that “everybody matters” Good writing, good story - so glad Amazon offered it as a First Read and even happier that I chose it. show less