Sparky and the Dipshit: A Memoir Paperback – May 9, 2019

A boy in the middle of nowhere, a magic summer and the complication and support of brotherhood. What could go wrong? Nothing! It is a fun, moving and compelling story about life, love and coming of age. Enjoy!

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Rod found a way to bring the reader back to a time so much less complicated than our lives today. It was easy to get lost in their high jinks, and allowing me to remember some of my own. I value a story that can make me laugh out loud and this had many moments of giggles and a couple of snorts. We all have moments in our lives where we recall a moment in our childhood that we take out, dust off, 're-examine, smile, laugh, cry, depending on the emotion of that cherished moment. Forever frozen. Other than a handful of overlooked editing mishaps, I would definitely recommend this book.

Dear Rodney,What a wonderful read for an old friend and neighbor during those times. Moe Moses read your book and put several of us on to it two weeks ago. I was mesmerized for the next few days till it was done. It was very well written and very entertaining with much love exuding for your old home town and slightly dysfunctional family. I can foresee it used in a travel folder for Great Bend or a movie or a television series! I am sure many local residents wii demand a sequel since they were not mentioned in the first one. What a wonderful tribute to ole Sparky, Homer Jr. Thanks for the effort!The Mad Scientist,Perry S.

This isn't exactly your Hardy Boys Adventure! It is however, a tale worth telling - of growing up when life was simple- even in complex and dysfunctional families. When being a cowboy could be a real life dream, rafting the Arkansas River is a reality, and racing go-karts is living dangerously. Sparky and the Dip**** is about a summer of innocence - perhaps the last summer of innocence- a good read, with laugh out loud pages, head shaking hi-jinks and an unforgettable story of two brothers and their last summer together.

I grew up in Great Bend, Kansas during the time the author writes about. His personal story contains some entertaining passages, but his skewed allegation that he grew up in Great Bend seems supported mostly by dropping some place names collected during a quick drive through town, and browsing the display ads in a yellowed 1963 edition of the Great Bend Daily Tribune. His tale comes across as being written from poorly-remembered reminiscences of some acquaintance who did actually live there. I had hoped to enjoy an authentic shared recollection of the rich experience of growing up in a Kansas prairie town, but that wasn't to be. None of this would matter to anyone who hadn't grown up in Great Bend, of course, so never mind my rant.

***I received an ARC of this book in exchange for a review***This was a fun, light read. It focused on the events that took place during one summer. It was humorous and brought with it a nostalgia for the innocence of teenage years when you felt as though you were indestructible and could conquer the world.