Not Exactly Rocket Scientists and Other Stories, Paperback/Jr. Gilbert E. Schill

From ROCKET SCIENTISTS WE WERE NOT... and Other Stories ``We were goofballs, and magnets for mischief. Pinheads, really. Boys who managed to screw up just about everything, everywhere: scouts, camp, school, dancing lessons, church, vacations, team sports, bowling, first dates, and summer jobs. You name it...`` In these stories of misadventures from small town mid-20 th century America, three lifelong buddies celebrate the fragile magic of youth, the enduring miracle of friendship, and the gift of fondly remembered tales told with laughter and tears. The zany, wondrous and sometimes bittersweet journey of their youth rested squarely on the broad shoulders of the Greatest Generation, grown-ups who really did know best, and whose patience and grace allowed their offspring to grow up gently. About ROCKET SCIENTISTS WE WERE NOT... and Other Stories Tony Dow (``Wally`` on ``Leave It To Beaver`` TV series): `` What funIt was like I was hanging out with Lumpy, Eddie and the guys from our show again. Every adult will be able to see something of themselves in these great stories of youth. They are a must read for anyone who longs for the simple, innocent fun of growing up with the spirit of the 50's and 60's. I feel like I know these three loveable goofballs and wish I could have spent more time being with them. Rocket Scientists should be a television series itself, underscoring the sweetness, innocence, and simplicity that have passed us by.`` Pat Conroy (Novelist , `` The Great Santini,`` ``My Losing Season,`` ``The Prince of Tides``): ``A great book about friendship, growing up in the fifties, and a lost America that will never come again.`` Amanda Forbes Silva (Essayist): `` Between the parenting prowess of the Greatest Generation and the luck that allows us to eventually recount our childhoods, ROCKET SCIENTISTS WE WERE NOT reveals a world of innocence and adventure. As a reader who grew up in a world more often animated on screens than schoolyards, these stories bridge a distinct past with a present readership that--fingers crossed--will inspire future generations to look up from their screens and seek adventures of their own design.``