No Tomfoolery

In his extraordinary memoir, James Thomas Thornburgh, MD, delves deep to get into the psyche of his young self, growing up during the 1940s and early 1950s in rural Ohio. Instead of looking back through the decades, Thornburgh transforms himself into the boy he was, narrating his story as if he were reliving it all once again.

With all the enthusiasm of a young boy, this lovable character comes to life on the pages as he navigates such complexities as having a father return from WWII, transforming from a city boy to a country boy, getting scarlet fever and being "cornteened," bonding with animals-and then losing them-building friendships, and learning life's lessons by trying different things and finding out for himself. That, of course, can get a kid in trouble, and Tommy gets into plenty of it Tending toward exaggeration and bravado, he blames everyone and everything but himself for his failings. But he has his repentant periods, too, when he works hard to be a good boy.

While his memoir recalls a particular time and place, Thornburgh also celebrates "the adventure of growing up that runs around inside all of us. Just part of being alive "