Hippie Boy: A Girl's Story [Paperback]

Ingrid Ricks (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 14, 2011

WINNER: 2012 eFestival of Words Best of Independent Book Awards (General Non-Fiction)

 

What would you do if your stepfather pinned you down and tried to cast Satan out of you? For thirteen-year-old Ingrid, the answer is simple: RUN.
 
Ingrid Ricks grew up in a dysfunctional Mormon family with an absent, freewheeling dad and an intensely religious mother who was desperate to ensure her family's eternal salvation. For years she yearned to escape the suffocating religion and poverty at home by joining her dad on the road as tool-selling vagabond. When her parents divorce and her mother marries Earl--a cruel authoritarian who exploits his Church-ordained priesthood powers to oppress her family--she finally gets her wish. At age thirteen, Ingrid begins spending her summers hustling tools throughout the Midwest with her dad and his slimy, revolving sales crew. He becomes her lifeline and escape from Earl. But when her dad is arrested, she learns the lesson that will change her life: she can't look to others to save her; she has to save herself.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"A soft-spoken yet resounding reminder of the power plays tied to religion...Ricks' voice is true, and her prose has a poised confidence missing from the repertoires of many established authors." --Booklist

"A moving and inspiring story of a teenage girl who rises above the constraints of her oppressive family life. Five stars." Maya Fleischmann, IndieReader.com 2012

"Ingrid's story is amazing..This is the quintessential story of pulling yourself up by your bootstraps." --Java Davis, The Kindle Book Review

"Hippie Boy: A Girl's Story is a stunning masterpiece by a first-time author. Though this is a memoir, it reads like a fictional story, with all the necessary literary elements... Brilliant, emotional, and aspirational, you feel empowered and inspired when you reach the last page." eNovelReviews.com

"A triumph of the human spirit...One of the most successful bildungsromans I've ever read." C. Hanson, Mainstreet Plaza 

From the Author

While Hippie Boy delves into my experiences growing up in a devout, dysfunctional Mormon household, it is not my intent to speak for the religion as a whole. My story shines the spotlight on the abuse of power that can happen in any religion. But more than that, I view Hippie Boy as a story about a girl who finds her voice and discovers that she has the power to claim the life she wants for herself -- regardless of the hand she's been dealt. By sharing my story, I hope to connect with others who have felt powerless and help them realize that they have a voice and a right to be heard.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 244 pages
• Publisher: RC Strategies Group (October 14, 2011)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0615383769
• ISBN-13: 978-0615383767
• Product Dimensions: 5.5 x 0.6 x 8.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (114 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #869,762 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Ingrid Ricks started her career as a journalist, spent fifteen years as a marketing/PR consultant and is now embracing her writing/mentoring dream full-time. She is the author of Hippie Boy: A Girl's Story, a coming-of-age memoir; FOCUS, a memoir about her journey with the blinding degenerative eye disease Retinitis Pigmentosa; and A Little Book of Mormon (and Not So Mormon) Stories, a collection of short autobiographical stories.

Through her partnership with high school English teacher Marjie Bowker, Ingrid recently helped at-risk teens publish their personal stories in a powerful collection titled We Are Absolutely Not Okay: Fourteen Stories by Teenagers Who Are Picking Up the Pieces. That project has led to the launch of WeAreAbsolutelyNotOkay.org, a web site devoted to helping teens connect with other teens through personal storytelling.

Ingrid lives in Seattle with her husband and two daughters. When not writing, working with students, or leading seminars focused on embracing the moment, she can be found accompanying her family to soccer games, ice hockey games, or the beach. She also enjoys hanging out at her neighborhood jazz club or alternating between her two favorite coffee shops. For more information, visit ingridricks.com.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

43 of 43 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars What lessons did you learn from your childhood? October 5, 2011

By Betsy Talbot

Format:Kindle Edition

It is strange to be transported back in time to something that seems so familiar yet so completely different than my own experience. The author and I appear to be the same age, though we grew up in different areas with different religions. But I felt so connected to her character's growing pains, the need to fit in a family that didn't quite understand her, and knowing that her family was different than most because of the "higher law" they followed in their church.

Her father's magnetism comes through in an almost tangible way, and I can almost feel the wind in my hair and my own 13-year-old legs sticking to the vinyl seat of a truck on a summer day hanging out with my own dad. It is a father/daughter story, a difficult mother/daughter story, a story about making your own destiny, and a story about persevering in the face of almost overwhelming odds. It is the story of a broken family, which is common to many of us, and how the pieces reattach in interesting ways. I hope Ingrid Ricks writes more about both her mother and her father in the future.

When she writes about being the secret lost daughter of the Osmond family I could relate. What one of us as a teenager didn't want to be part of a famous family where we could forget the troubles and angst that plagued our junior high selves?

Hippie Boy brought me back to the Judy Blume books of my teenage years, though it is still a very grownup story. In fact, I felt a lot of compassion for the mother, who is consumed by religious fervor and can't seem to get any comfort from following her faith (I'm not religious or a mother, by the way). Even Earl, the evil stepfather who only eats meat (and smells bad because of it), is oddly compelling. How did he get to be this way? He reminds me of some men I knew growing up in a Baptist church in New Mexico, and now I want to know how they became that way.

If you like coming-of-age stories, tales about complicated but loving relationships between fathers and daughters, or relating to a child who knows she is different but can't do anything about it until she is grown, then this is the book for you. I really enjoyed this (and completely abandoned my to-do list for a day and a half to read it through).

25 of 26 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Debut Novelist Shines a Bright Light... December 18, 2011

By Betty L. Dravis VINE™ VOICE

Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase

I thoroughly enjoyed reading the true story of author Ingrid Ricks because--with her mastery of the English language--she brings her family to life. A dysfunctional family, to be sure, and the poor little girl is forced to grow up before her time... Lucky for her, she was born an independent spirit and definitely knows right from wrong, so she copes admirably. A heart-breaking, heart-warming reality...

The title Hippie Boy threw me off and I kept waiting for a "hippie boy" to enter Ingrid's life and change its directions. But not so! Not to spoil the storyline, but "Hippie Boy" turns out to be a term of endearment her father calls her. And when readers delve into this remarkable, bittersweet story, it quickly becomes apparent that she's not a true hippie, but she does possess a core belief set revolving around the values of peace and love.

As a young girl, Ingrid has to deal with the authoritarian, outdated principles espoused by her devoted Mormon mother; a religion that ultimately causes her non-Mormon father to leave home. Ingrid adores her charming, wandering father and she's his favorite child. He doesn't come home often, but when he does, Ingrid clings to him for some stability.

Things go from bad to worse when her mother marries Earl, a homeless Vietnam veteran who exploits the religion's male-dominated culture by abusing her family. This only makes Ingrid depend more on her father's infrequent visits, and she eventually gets her wish to join him for summers on the road, helping him sell tools. She most often stays behind to protect her siblings, but for two summers she manages to travel with her father.

What does Earl do to abuse the family? Why does Ingrid want to run? And when she finally gets to go with her father, how does she handle this new pace of life? What kind of "hustler" does she prove to be? How does she save her father's "skin" more often than not? Is it the child leading the adult...or what? What does she do when her father gets arrested? And why does he get arrested?

But most important, what valuable lessons does Ingrid learn that help her find her way to a happy future? Does she follow her father's adage: "If it's to be, it's up to me."?

This talented writer answers those questions and more in this first-person narrative written from the young girl's viewpoint. She's great at pacing, plot, dialogue and has a refreshing voice; so much so, that she kept me on the edge of my seat from beginning to satisfactory ending.

Even though my heart went out mostly to Ingrid, I liked her father too. Despite his short-comings, he cared for his family. I found it a little harder to forgive the mother--after what she allows Earl to do--but when I realized she was a victim of the culture pounded into her by her Mormon up-bringing, in the end I felt for her, also.

This story tugged at my heart-strings because the characters were made real to me. I couldn't get Ingrid out of my mind long after finishing this sad, but fascinating true story... Her independent spirit that knew enough to set her own pace and find the right answers is inspiring.

This is an awesome debut novel; Ingrid Ricks should have a secure future in the literary world. Just as she shines a bright light on the cruel practices of Mormonism, this book now casts her in a happier spotlight. Today Hippie Boy: A Girl's Story is Number One in Kindle Memoirs. Can't wait until she comes out with another book... Write fast, Ingrid!

Reviewed by Betty Dravis, December 18, 2011
Author of "1106 Grand Boulevard"

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Their own religion? February 3, 2012

By Janelli

Format:Kindle Edition

The reviewers who point out that this family is dysfunctional & that this type of spiritual abuse is not exclusive to any one belief system were spot on. I find it interesting that the author's way out reflected two of the central tenets of the Mormon belief system: self-reliance & asking God if what they have been taught is 'of man' or 'of God'--to know for themselves. Since the author's parents were violating the teachings of their own religion, we can fairly ask: "Were they 'Mormon' or had they invented their own brand of religion?" -a therapist in Utah.