The Bridge ~ Review

The Bridge
by Stan Crader

A glimpse of rural America through the eyes of a young boy during the summer of 1967...

Growing up is never easy and the summer of 1967 is one that Tommy Thompson won't soon forget.  He and his best friend Booger make plans to mow lawns and earn money for Honda Mini-Trails.

But plans never quite go how we envision them going.  Before summer even starts they have to deal with a tragedy that no one in the town of Colby saw coming - the death of Booger's older brother Johnny.  Why Johnny had to lose his life in Vietnam just weeks before he was to come home is a question that Tommy ponders.  But Johnny's death is not the only tragedy that these boys have to deal with during their twelfth summer.

Tommy learns a lot about friendship as he is the target of the town bully.  He has friends that stand-up for him.  He also learns how to deal with girls even though he can't understand their thought processes at times.  Growing up in the 60s was not the ideal childhood, but through the love of family and the faith that they shared Tommy and Booger grow throughout the summer and became more caring individuals.

Tommy and the town of Colby learn that change comes no matter what.  It is how we deal with these changes that will determine who we are and who we will become.

I was provided a copy of this title for the purpose of this review.

ABOUT THE BRIDGE

Tommy Thompson recalls with vivid detail the summer of 1967, when he was twelve years old and living in a small town in rural America. At that time in his life, all he wanted was a Honda motorbike, and he believed the smartest person in the world was his Uncle Cletus. The Bridge follows Tommy’s summer-long quest for the Honda and his love, Wendy, whom he pursues with the comical romanticism of a young boy.
During the course of the summer Tommy helps his best friend, Booger, cope with family tragedy. He is terrorized by Clyde Goodpasture, the biggest bully in the sixth grade, and the town of Colby is shaken by news that its hat factory will close. While he isn’t a religious child, Tommy faces these challenges armed with the few Bible verses that he knows and the support of his Christian family. Tommy has a knack for doing the right thing and ultimately makes a sacrifice that shows without a doubt that his heart is in the right place.

About The Author

Stan Crader’s first book, ‘The Bridge’ spent several days on the best seller list for Christian fiction at both BarnesandNoble.com and Amazon.com. His articles about flying have been published in flying magazines and local newspapers. He won a Bronze Quill award from the International Association of Business Communications for articles written for his company’s quarterly newsletter.

Stan was born and raised in Bollinger County Missouri. Coming of age in rural Missouri provided him the material for many of the rich characters in his books. He credits the variety of jobs he had as a child and the people with which he worked for providing him his creative foundation.

Stan’s childhood jobs included grocery store carry out, a paper route, mowing lawns, farm equipment set-up, sawmills, and janitor. “You learn a great deal about people when you see what groceries they purchase,” Stan says.

After graduating from high school, he attended the University of Missouri, where he met his future wife, Debbie at a Missouri / Nebraska football game. It was Debbie who first made Stan realize that his childhood was unique.

They spent the early years of their marriage living in Bollinger County, Missouri. Stan joined the family business and Debbie worked as a community nurse. As a nurse, working with a caring country doctor, she began to collect stories of her own.

The two of them raised three boys and a golden retriever as the life experiences continued. Stan began writing Christmas letters. Friends and family began to look forward to the somewhat informative but largely humorous Christmas epistle.

Stan’s first novel was written after the encouragement of those on his Christmas letter mailing list and the recipients of the company’s quarterly newsletter. He’s flattered beyond measure each time someone who has read ‘The Bridge’ asks about a sequel.

Visit Stan’s site:  http://www.stancrader.com

Please note that all proceeds go to support Resurrecting Lives, a non-profit that supports veterans with traumatic brain injury (TBI).