"...a poignant read that illustrates the vulnerability of youth and offers diverse perspectives of growing up." -Authors Reading

Jasper Bartlett is your typical adolescent in 1970's Colorado trying to fit in with the teenagers and adults around him. This conundrum is compounded by grief over his dead mother and an absentee, intoxicated father. Yet once he is invited to vacation with his grandparents, Pop and Mimi, in their Maryland farmhouse, his life changes dramatically. Here he is introduced to frog gigging, guns, Christianity and girls. However, unsettling relationships with friends, family, and even his trusted preacher soon begin to ignite and then consume Jasper's precarious vulnerability and worldview. In desperation, he sets off on a liberating journey across the country with the one adult who still supports him, his Uncle Stewart. Along the way, Jasper strives for forgiveness over betrayal, clarity over confusion, hope over despair.

Jasper's experiences reflect the complex struggles of youth in a society that subtly neglects to protect and nurture them, even today.