Customer Reviews

An American Summer

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This is one of those books that will have you thinking about its characters long after you've finished reading it. Kathryn and Christy became so real to me, their friendship so alive and dynamic, that it's hard for me to believe they didn't really exisit.

The unlikely friendship forged between Christy, a 14 year old coming of age during a hot Baltimore summer and Kathryn, a beautiful 23 year old stricken with polio in her teens, is so poignantly rendered. The characters are so complete! Their exchanges are witty and wonderful. Okay, I'm gushing. But this book affected me pretty deeply. It's rare to read a book that makes you laugh, cry and ponder the nature and the mystery of human relationships. I wish there could be a sequel that follows Christy throughout his adult life (there is a very brief epilogue dealing with this, but it was too brief for me).

The relationship between Christy and his family (particularly his father) is also an important part of the story--how his father's actions shape Christy's perceptions of the world, how Christy grows to understand a bit better the complexities of adulthood. There is also some wonderful interaction between Christy and his sister Sue after she is raped by the neighborhood good guy.

Maybe some people will find this book too tame or lacking in action. But to me, it was a wonderful "slice of life" kind of novel about how what appears to be an ordinary summer can actually turn into extaoridinary, life-altering experience.

Just finished this book and I couldn't put it down, the narraration thru the 14 year old was just so great. The setting of Baltimore during the fifties was also superb, I was really able to feel how the author was conveying life in the fifties with the fear of polio and the communist bashing and what-not. It really made me feel like a WASP living among the manors of Baltimore. A heart wrenching story with two awesome characters that I will no doubt read again very soon.

Many years have passed since I read a book that brought tears to my eyes. This is the one that did it!

I have to admit I was reluctant to read this book club pick when I saw the cover. It looked like a trashy summer novel without much substance. How wrong I was!

Frank Deford brings the summer of 1954 to life with his novel about the unlikely friendship between a 14 year old boy, Christy Bannister, and 23 year old Kathryn Slade. When Christy rescues Kathryn's dog from near disaster, he is befriended by Aurelia Slade, her mother, who consequently introduces them, and through her connections helps him salvage his paper route. Although Kathryn is confined to an iron lung because of polio, she's one of the liveliest characters I've seen. She proceeds to teach Christy all sorts of things that summer: about girls, about swimming, about competing, and about having a vision and determination. While he secretly shapes his muscles with a Charles Atlas program, Kathryn demonstrates such personal courage that she helps him realize his own strength. Their friendship is bound through family secrets, challenges, laughter and perseverance.

This is a poignant tale, often humorous and touching without being maudlin.
All the senses are involved with Frank Deford's nostalgic story: The sounds of Kathryn and Christy singing "Sh-boom, sh-boom," smells of a pool and blooming nearby garden, tastes of RC cola sipped through a straw, and touches of an empathetic hand to a lifeless one. Although a quick read, it will be one you'll think about for a long time.

While browsing in a local TJMaxx this past summer I came across a copy of this book on the bargain aisle. The cover drew me in - different from on the one pictured on this site - the text on the flaps took hold of me, and the bargain price of $1.00 clinched the sale! I must say, it was the best dollar I've ever spent. Fourteen year old Christy Bannister moves from Indiana to Baltimore, MD with his family and learns a lot about life through his unique friendship with Kathyryn Slade, a twenty-three year old young woman with polio. Deford weaves a great story with true to life characters, ones that could be your own neighbors, as he touches on the issues of suburban growth in middle class America in the 1950's, the fear parents had of devastating childhood diseases, truth and trust among both family and friends, and how love can touch you at any time, any age, any place.

This great book took me back to the 50's. The plot dealt not only with friendship but family relationships, growing-up, lonliness, and trustworthy sacred relationships. This is the way I remember the 50's. An enjoyable read. It left me feeling good and humbled.

I read this book over 6 months ago, and it still grabs me as one of the best books I've read in the past 10 years. It's easy to fall in love with the characters, and you just don't want it to end. I don't reread books very often, but I'm planning to buy this book and read it again next summer.

Having spent the first 19 years of my life growing up in Baltimore of the 60's and 70's, I was able to relate to the setting so it helped add to my enjoyment of this book.

The story of a young child who finds motivation and maturity from an older person who enters his/her life is not exactly an original idea yet Deford makes it just a bit fresher by using a growing city,changing times, and a good assortment of true-to-life characters as the backdrop.

The only nitpick I have is that there are a couple of minor subplots involving a rape and an affair that seemed to be there only as a device to hammer across the point that when you're a 14 year old boy, you learn people can do bad things. For me, those portions added very little. When the story stays focused on the relationship between the two leads(the aforementioned 14 year old boy and a 23 year old girl struggling with polio), the book is gripping and moves forward rapidly. Actually, it seems as though this book could be translated to the small screen pretty easily. I hope we see this as a Lifetime or Hallmark channel presentation soon.

You might be able to see the ending a mile a way but if you need some breezy reading for a vacation or a day trip to "the shore"(a term that will be clearer when you read the book), "An American Summer" may be a nice way to pass the time.

Last summer I came across this book by accident and I decided to read it and now I am so glad I did. An American Summer is the best book I've ever read and the entire time I was reading it I could picture what was happening in my head and I felt like I was there. i would definately recommend this book to anyone who wants a great book to read.

"Many people will walk in and out of your life, but only true friends will leave footprints in your heart." So very true this quote by Eleanor Roosevelt is many times. In this novel, An American Summer, Christy despite the trials and tributes throughout the novel, learns this through his friendship with Kathryn. Many friendships are based on love, humor, and happiness, but none as strong as the rare friendship of 14-year old Christy Bannister and "iron-lung ridden" Kathryn Slade. This read is a fast-paced page turner that draws you into the plot with each word.

Christy Bannister, a 14-year old boy, has just moved to Baltimore, with his family, because of his dad's job. He's having a hard time making friends when he meets Miss Kathryn Slade. Kathryn is a nice young woman who is stuck in an iron lung for the rest of her life due to getting polio when she was a teenager. Kathryn makes the best of her disibility while enjoying her pool and teaching Christy how to be a "helluva" swimmer. Kathryn and Christy grow very close and Kathryn helps Christy work through his family problems and problems at home.

From Kathryn, Christy learns the meaning of life with her positive attitude. Christy has returned the favor, without even realizing it, for taking the time to be Kathryn's friend. The end of this novel is a tear-jerker that will leave you with so much to think about. Through this novel, you will be drawn into the plot and have learned how important life is.

Friendship is so powerful and influencing. Frank Deford pulls you into his book and you grow to love the characters. You will be wanting to read page after page of this novel looking forward to the new adventures of the characters. In the end, there are many lessons to be learned, but most of all the lesson that you must look beyond what a person looks like on the outside and focus on the personality on the inside. Even if someone is different, they can be the person with the most awesome outlook on life. Despite an illness or deformity, a person can still be an all-around great person with the most positive attitude in the world.

This book is great for mature junior-high students and high school students. There are many issues in this book that a young teenager can relate to but it would also be an enjoyable read for an adult to, because of the lesson of an outlook on life. Overall, I thought this book was a very good and I recommend it to all for a great read.