Goat Brothers by Larry Colton, Doubleday, pub.
"The true life American epic of five men who meet as fraternity brothers in the early 1960s and live out the dreams, failures, loves and betrayals of their tumultuous generation."
This book is based upon five young men who pledge the Pi Ka frat at Berkeley, the "jock" frat. Their lives take very divergent paths and read like a blueprint of the confusion of the late 60s and early 70s: multiple marriages, divorced dads, drugs, social upheaval, the search for a spiritual self, racism.
Loren Hawley: "Hayseed". A small town California farm boy who refers to women as "tomatoes". He is the wheeler-dealer real estate guy who eventually lands in a federal prison for his financial shenanigans.
Jim van Hoften: "Ox". Not the typical frat house guy; he is a brilliant scientist as well as an incredible athlete and becomes an astronaut on the Challenger.
Steve Radich: An Adrenalin junky who would also today be called a sex addict. He personifies all the trendy things the 70s represented: Tai Chai, disco, one night stands, the divorced dad.
Ron Vaughn: A black man who could "pass" for white who struggles terribly with insecurity and direction and the shame of mental illness.
Larry Coulton: the book's author, who is more concerned with his baseball career than his grades and has a difficult time coming to terms with his failed dreams.
Although these guys were coming of age in the generation before mine, and some of their issues are hilariously 70s, it's an interesting and timely read since many of the same issues still abound today.
THIS BOOK ROCKS I READ IT IN 3 DAYS COULDNT PUT IT DOWN I COULD RELATE TO EACH PERSON IN THE STORY
Posted by: SCOTT BRICE | July 22, 2006 at 12:49 PM