If Jack's in Love

Jack has a redneck dad, an ugly mom, a wild older brother, and a huge crush.

For some reason, I found this book to be very funny. This is a coming of age tale that took the author, Stephen Wetta, several decades to write. I appreciated the humor of the main protagonist and I can see why this was rated one of the top ten books of 2011.

The story is set during the 1960's after JFK has died, civil rights is at the forefront, and the existence of the "typical American family" is dying away. The plot centers around Jack, who comes from an outcast family. Jack, unlike his sibling and father, is actually extremely intelligent, and despite knowing he has no chance, falls in love with a young girl at his school.

The kicker comes when a family enemy (who also happens to be his love interests brother) goes missing and Jack's hippie brother is the prime suspect. It may not be your favorite book, but it'll be worth the time.

I'll leave it at that.