Campingly Yours: A Heartwarming Journey of a Lifetime at Summer Camp (Paperback)

by Thomas C. Adler (Author)
Key Phrases: great camp director, key log ceremony, button wagon, The Bulk, The Vacuum, Compingly Yours (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review
In my opinion, Campingly Yours is more than a loving memoir of summer camp, it is an enchanting journey through the heartland of one man s life. Written with disarming simplicity and honest emotion, the folksy anecdotes and wry observations entwine like woodsmoke from an evening campfire. The book invites you to sit down and listen in to treasured stories full of laughter and friendship, music and memory, a sense of life s joys and its inescapable sadness. In addition to being a wonderful read, Campingly Yours asks us to share the author s lifelong desire to preserve and extend the values of a lost American childhood, a more innocent time in which boys and girls were able to experience life more directly, independently, and responsibly. To Adler and all of us lucky enough to have shared similar summertime adventures camp is far more than a place or a time; it is a way of looking at the world. As a writer, Thomas C. Adler is an American original. His prose is distinctively homespun understated, yet deeply felt; by turns amusing, sweet, and often surprisingly affecting. You know from reading this book that Adler is the guy you want in your canoe on a long day s paddle into the wind. I recommend reading Campingly Yours to anyone who has been to summer camp or wonders what they missed by not going to camp. And they missed a lot. Beyond that, however, the book will appeal to anyone who wants to know what it was like to grow up in a more innocent age and discover a singular slice of heaven in the forested lakes of northern Wisconsin. --Jeff Melvoin, Television Writer/Producer (Hill Street Blues, Northern Exposure, Alias)

Product Description
Seamlessly woven with wisdom and wit, Thomas C. Adler's heartfelt memoir blends forty-five years of summer camp with a lifetime of love. A tribute to family, friendship and the coming of age, Campingly Yours reflects on childhood in a bygone era adventure, tradition and the timeless bond between idyllic parents and a devoted son. From camper and counselor to owner and director, Adler's nostalgic personal journey is seasoned with humor and insight, courage and character. Engaging from beginning to end, Adler masterfully captures the essence of summer camp at Chippewa Ranch...with the North Star as his constant guide.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 351 pages
• Publisher: Five Star Publications, Inc. AZ; 1 edition (January 2, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1589851110
• ISBN-13: 978-1589851115
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 5.9 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (48 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #82,859 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful book!, March 8, 2009

By	Aaron Brower - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I loved this book. Everyone should read it. Really.

When I picked up Campingly Yours, I expected the flood of memories about friends, trips, activities, myself frozen in time, and camp's important life lessons. I looked forward to that! What I didn't expect was how Tommy's writing would be so compelling and touching. Like some other reviewers have said, I literally couldn't put the book down and was sad when it was over.

And with the state of the world today, what life lesson is more important than "leave your campsite better than you found it."

-- Hank

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A moving book about life's lessons, February 22, 2009

By	Wendy Kritt - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

As I read Campingly Yours, I laughed, I cried, I reflected, I reminisced, I learned, and I was deeply moved. I began reading it with no real expectations. I thought, what could a camp directors' memoir be about? In reading the book, and reflecting on my own camp experiences, I learned that camp is really a microcosm of life. And Campingly Yours is really a book about life's lessons. In today's crazy, uncertain, fast-paced world, Campingly Yours is a must read to help us all remember what really matters most in life -- family, friends, and experiencing life.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A story that will re-awaken cherished childhood memories, February 20, 2009

By	P. Jiang "pjiang" (San Jose, CA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I started reading "Campingly Yours" on a cross country flight. The compelling story kept me engaged the entire flight, and late into the night at my hotel. Thomas C. gives a warm voice and engaging structure to the universal camp experience. His journey embodies the camping spirit that has influenced campers from all over the world and has kept campers going back to camp generation after generation.

"Campingly Yours" will give you the opportunity to look at your own camp experience and realize the impact they had on your life. It will open your eyes to what goes into making summer camp such a great environment and to reflect on what summer camp will mean to your children. Best of all, it will keep you laughing and crying as you vicariously become a member of Thomas C.'s camping family.