Bill Keeton

A Boy Called Combustion: Growing Up in 1940s Mississippi Bill Keeton

Both heartwarming and hilarious, A BOY CALLED COMBUSTION celebrates the adventures of childhood, the bonds of family, and the joys of life in the 1940s South. Accidentally knocking down his grandparent's garage, helping neighbors paint their house, and denting his mother's brand new stove with his BB gun, young Bill constantly surprised all who knew him. The book's linked stories savor the vivid imagination behind a child's comic exploits, the wisdom gained in the aftermath, and the colorful family and friends who shared both the lessons and the fun.

A BOY CALLED COMBUSTION is a memoir deeply rooted in a particular time and place: the Mississippi of the 1940s, where folks never cook from prepared mixes and kids have a weekly date with the movie serials. Yet it is also a timeless American story of life, love, laughter, maturation, and the gifts of family strength.

It doesn't matter what age or gender a reader may be, or where he or she hails from. Anyone who has ever planned a childhood prank...suffered the punishment that followed...experienced the delights and challenges of a large extended family...or looked back with gratitude at the influence of remarkable role models, will enjoy and be inspired to relive their own pasts through its pages. If you loved LIFE WITH FATHER or CHEAPER BY THE DOZEN, you'll love this similarly colorful, compelling memoir.