{"product_id":"2940158614903","title":"Not Exactly Rocket Scientists and Other Stories","description":"From Not Exactly Rocket Scientists and Other Stories:\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"We were goofballs, and magnets for mischief. Pinheads, really. Boys who managed to screw up just about\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eeverything, everywhere: scouts, camp, school, dancing lessons, church, vacations, team sports, bowling,\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003efirst dates, and summer jobs. You name it...\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eIn these stories of misadventures from small town mid-20th century America, three lifelong buddies celebrate\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003ethe fragile magic of youth, the enduring miracle of friendship, and the gift of fondly remembered\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003etales told with laughter and tears. The zany, wondrous and sometimes bittersweet journey of their youth\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003erested squarely on the broad shoulders of the Greatest Generation, grown-ups who really did know best,\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eand whose patience and grace allowed their offspring to grow up gently.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAbout Not Exactly Rocket Scientists and Other Stories:\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"What fun! It was like I was hanging out with Lumpy, Eddie and the guys from our show again. Every adult\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003ewill be able to see something of themselves in these great stories of youth. They are a must read for anyone\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003ewho longs for the simple, innocent fun of growing up with the spirit of the 50's and 60's. I feel like I know\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003ethese three lovable goofballs and wish I could have spent more time being with them. NOT EXACTLY\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eROCKET SCIENTISTS should be a television series itself, underscoring the sweetness, innocence, and\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003esimplicity that have passed us by.\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e    TONY DOW (\"Wally\" on Leave It To Beaver TV series)\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"A great book about friendship, growing up in the fifties, and a lost America that will never come again.\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e    PAT CONROY, novelist, The Great Santini, My Losing Season, The Prince of Tides\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"Between the parenting prowess of the Greatest Generation and the luck that allows us to eventually recount\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eour childhoods, NOT EXACTLY ROCKET SCIENTISTS reveals a world of innocence and adventure.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAs a reader who grew up in a world more often animated on screens than schoolyards, these stories\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003ebridge a distinct past with a present readership that--fingers crossed--will inspire future generations to\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003elook up from their screens and seek adventures of their own design.\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e    AMANDA FORBES SILVA, essayist\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e[Flap Material]\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eIn story after story, in a simpler time\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eand place, things rarely go right for these\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003esmall-town friends. Good kids at heart,\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003ethey stumble through their youth, finding\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003estupid and chaos just about anywhere,\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003ealong with the miracle of friendship.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eFrom Banned for Life:\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"With fast, long strides that resembled an ostrich running from a lion, he charged the release line. Spike was out of control. We could tell something awful was about to happen, and we backed up. Spike got to the line in a clumsy burst of speed, fired his arm in a curved position, caught his right foot with his left, spun like a drunken ballerina, turned 270 degrees, and threw the bowling ball like a discuss. It took off as though shot from a catapult on a 90-degree angle east and a 70-degree angle toward the ceiling, traveling 20 feet up the wall . . .\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eFrom I'll Have a Manhattan:\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"When the first bolt of lightning hit one of the nearby trees, we ran for cover. To some of us, this was less important than finding a bar . . .\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eFrom Mr. Jaeger, Mr. Jaeger, Bobby Don't Feel Too Good:\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"As the season wore on and more and more fly balls were muffed by the outfielders, one of them came up with the theory that they had all been raised wrong since birth, and should switch from right-handed gloves to left-handed gloves, or vice versa. Two of the guys actually tried it out, swapping gloves for several innings. The truly remarkable (or unremarkable) thing about this was fielder performance went unchanged. Fly balls continued to bounce off gloves . . . \"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eFrom Sinking The Bismarck:\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"While a little laughter was always good, something awful lurked just below the surface. That something was The Giggles, and no one was really safe. It has happened to every kid, and is a first and terrifying sign that we are never really in control of anything . . .\"","brand":"Page Publishing, Inc.","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47181786808560,"sku":"2940158614903","price":9.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0737\/7593\/9824\/files\/2940158614903_p0.jpg?v=1764115322","url":"https:\/\/shop-qa.barnesandnoble.com\/products\/2940158614903","provider":"Barnes \u0026 Noble (DEV)","version":"1.0","type":"link"}