Summer of '69 - Hardcover

Strasser, Todd

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0763695262 ISBN 13: 9780763695262

Publisher: Candlewick, 2019

Synopsis

Drawing from his teenage years, Todd Strasser’s novel revisits a tumultuous era and takes readers on a psychedelically tinged trip of a lifetime.

With his girlfriend, Robin, away in Canada, eighteen-year-old Lucas Baker’s only plans for the summer are to mellow out with his friends, smoke weed, drop a tab or two, and head out in his microbus for a three-day happening called the Woodstock Music and Art Fair. But life veers dramatically off track when he suddenly finds himself in danger of being drafted and sent to fight in Vietnam. If that isn’t heavy enough, there’s also the free-loving (and undeniably alluring) Tinsley, who seems determined to test Lucas’s resolve to stay faithful to Robin; a frighteningly bad trip at a Led Zeppelin concert; a run-in with an angry motorcycle gang; parents who appear headed for a divorce; and a friend on the front lines in ’Nam who’s in mortal danger of not making it back. As the pressures grow, it’s not long before Lucas finds himself knocked so far down, it’s starting to look like up to him. When tuning in, turning on, and dropping out is no longer enough, what else is there?

About this title

About the Author

Todd Strasser is the internationally best-selling author of more than one hundred books for children, teens, and adults, including Fallout and The Beast of Cretacea, as well as the classics The Wave and Give a Boy a Gun, which are taught in classrooms around the world. He lives in Westchester County, New York.

From the Back Cover

Todd Strasser is the internationally best-selling author ofmore than one hundred books for children and teens, including Fallout and The Beast of Cretacea, as well as the classics The Wave and Give a Boy a Gun,which are taught in classrooms around the world. He says, "The summer of 1969 wasa summer of war protest, of civil unrest, of a man stepping onto the moon, ofthe Woodstock music festival, and of a river in Ohio so polluted that itactually caught fire. For me, it was three months of drugs, rock 'n' roll,risk, and adventure. But beneath that groovy surface, it was a period ofgnawing emotional pain, confusion, even danger, that ended with a familytragedy that may have saved my life." Todd Strasser lives in WestchesterCounty, New York.

From the Inside Flap

Eighteen-year-old Lucas Baker -- long-haired, bellbottomed rejecterof social norms -- just needs to glide through the summer while his girlfriend isaway in Canada. Next fall they'll reconnect at colleges near each other. Untilthen, Lucas plans to mellow out with friends, smoke weed, drop a tab or two,and celebrate summer's end by truckin' in his psychedelically-painted microbusto a three-day happening called the Woodstock Music & Art Fair.

But life veers into heavy bummer territory when Lucas suddenlyfinds himself in danger of being sent to fight in Vietnam. If that isn't amajor enough hassle, his parents appear to be splitting up, and he's being pursuedby the I Ching-tossing, free-loving, undeniably alluring Tinsley. Add to that arun-in with a poorly punctuated motorcycle gang, a terrifying LSD trip at a LedZeppelin concert, and his looming Army induction physical and soon Lucas findshimself knocked so far down that down isstarting to look an awful lot like up.

Drawing heavily from personal experience, award-winningauthor Todd Strasser sets his latest novel against the backdrop of one of themost tumultuous periods in recent history -- and takes readers on apsychedelically-tinged trip of a lifetime.

Edition details

• Publisher: Candlewick
• Publication date: 2019
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0763695262
• ISBN 13: 9780763695262
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 384