Billy, now an adult with kids of his own, remembers the mistakes and mishaps of his "Forties" childhood. Some, such as an excess intake of pumpkin pie, were his fault, whereas his classmates shared the blame for using pigs to simulate a cattle stampede. This was also true in the case of the infamous marble heist. "Skunk," son of the town's one-eyed barber, is the one responsible for the runaway steam tractor, but it's Eddie, Billy's brother who stage-manages a close encounter with a skunk. Yet, those traumas pale before the occasion when Billy's poorly worded compliment results in a head-rattling slap from a bejeweled Delilah. Worse is the evening when he meets his deceased grandfather literally face to face. Billy's story is a reminder that growing up really is hard to do. And, every man who reads this book will remember his own mistakes while feminine sympathies will go to mothers and teachers of boys.