Hawkins County [Deluxe Edition] [Paperback]

Steven Merrill Ulmen (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 1, 2006

A cocky, wise-cracking young Juvenile Probation Officer battles wasted lives and senseless deaths as he establishes a career and finds adventure friendship, romance and a new home in Hawkins County. Although fictionalized, this bittersweet story is based on actual people and events on a small, rural county. But "Hawkins County" is more than a corrections casework study. It is a trip back to the 1970's, and it's all here - the movies, the TV shows, the tunes, the jokes, the humor, the heartache, Vietnam - all the elements that influenced our lives during the era. "Hawkins County" is for baby boomers, Vietnam veterans, law enforcement officials, social workers, youth counselors, probation officers - yes, even juvenile delinquents and others who have found themselves on the wrong side of the law - and everyone else who savors a nostalgic story about life as it happened during the 1970's.

Editorial Reviews

From the Inside Flap

PROLOGUE

How many roads must a man walk down
Before you call him a man?
Yes, 'n how many seas must a white dove sail
before she sleeps in the sand?
Yes, 'n how wmany times must the cannon balls fly
Before they're forever banned?
The answer, my friend, is blowin' in the wind
The answer is blowin' in the wind.

Jack Johnson did not hear "Blowin' in the Wind," the Bob Dylan tune, playing on the radio. After all, it was only ten o'clock on Saturday morning so he was still in bed at his folk's place, comfortably enjoying the sleep of the innocent. He didn't plan to get up until noon anyway, since he and Fletch felt obligated to spend the better part of last night hitting the bars to celebrate sliding through his final quarter at the University. Maybe it was best he did not hear the song because it would disturb him if he realized how prophetic it was, how the lyrics applied not only to his life, but to the lives of his friends and to people he had yet to meet. Although he didn't know it, Jack Johnson was about to enter a world that had more questions than answers, and discover what few answers did exist remained elusive, as if they were blowin' in the wind...

About the Author

Steven Merrill Ulmen is a veteran corrections professional, having served in varying capacities in the probation and parole field for 34 years. Now retired, he resides in Mankato, MN with his spouse, Mickie, and an obese calico cat with an attitude named Maggie. He has two adult children, Matthew, residing in East Wenatchee, Washington, and Laura Estby, residing in Anoka, MN

Product Details

• Paperback: 280 pages
• Publisher: Lulu.com (April 1, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1411688074
• ISBN-13: 978-1411688070
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #4,961,348 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Steven M. Ulmen is a retired probation officer living in Mankato, MN with his spouse, Mickie. He has two adult children and two granddaughters. He also has an obese calico cat with an attitude named Maggie who bosses him around a lot, and has the final say on editing manuscript content. He is an avid antique buyer and seller, dealing in primitive and farm-related items, stoneware, and vintage advertising. Ulmen has written a trilogy of western historical fiction which includes the novels "Blood on the Prairie - A Novel of the Sioux Uprising," "Toby Ryker," and "Deadwood Days." He published the first and third novels himself through Lightning Source. The central, main novel was published by Lulu.com. In addition, Publish America has published his memoir entitled "Bad Moon Arising."

He has published three other memoir/autobiographical books for other authors. These include "Autobiography of a Ghost" and Mind of the Mystic" by Glen A. Just, and "Faces on the Clock" by Larry Bauer-Scandin.

It is the goal of Steven M. Ulmen to write and to publish books that are entertaining, educational, and inspirational, and that contribute to the literature of the world.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4.0 out of 5 stars Round Up Magazine Review, February 8, 2007

By 

Matt Ulmen (East Wenatchee) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Hawkins County (Paperback)

This is not a Western, but it is an unusual book that illustrates the changes the 1960s and 70s brought to American culture and law enforcement. Based on the author's own experiences as a juvenile probation officer in rural Hawkins County, Minnesota, the story line traces the coming of age of an immature, cocky probation officer, who learns how to help youngsters caught up in the criminal justice system, and guide them to a more useful life. It is not a happily- ever-after sort of book as Jack Johnson finds his small mistakes handling his juvenile clients can lead to big consequences.

The death of a teenager who is fleeing the police is a sobering experience for Jack. Particularly well drawn is the character of Pat O'Connor, the son of an alcoholic. Pat is avoiding arrest on a warrant for breaking his probation. He avoids drugs and thievery, but runs with a bad crowd. He is sensitive teenager, very protective of his dad, and Jack's goal is to reform Pat's behavior. This is an interesting book for its social commentary and the flavor of the 1970s.

5.0 out of 5 stars An original story told with a humor and candor that holds the readers full and rapt attention from beginning to end, May 8, 2006

By 

Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Hawkins County (Paperback)

Pat O'Connor is a juvenile delinquent who, with the aid of his alcoholic father, spends most of his time outrunning the police who have a warrant for his arrest for a probation violation. His gang consists of five other delinquents, including their sociopathic son of Judge Charles Halloran, the Hawkins County Juvenile Court Judge. Can cocky, wise-cracking Juvenile Probation Officer Jack Johnson keep Pat and his buddies from self-destruction? Can he divert any of them from becoming career criminals and long term incarcerated prisoners of the state's penal system? Set in a southern Minnesota rural community and drawing upon his many years of service as a Juvenile Probation officer, Steven Ulmen's debut novel is an original story (but one that could be taken from the ledgers of any juvenile justice system today) told with a humor and candor that holds the readers full and rapt attention from beginning to end.