Summer of Champions

by Dewey Johnson

Book Overview

"For me, it is a delight to introduce Joe Don Miller and his Little League team from Roswell. . . . Dewey Johnson takes the reader through the teenage gauntlet that has tested us all."--David Poling, Roswell Daily Record "Captures the rhythms and sense of community of the small-town Southwest but also exposes the prejudices and political dimensions of the era."--Albuquerque Tribune 1956. Most of middle America is settling into unprecedented affluence;...

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0896725677
• ISBN13: 9780896725676
• Release Date: November 2005
• Publisher: Texas Tech University Press
• Length: 256 Pages
• Weight: 0.75 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.9" x 6.4" x 9.3"

Customer Reviews

This Book's a Champ

Mr. Connell has told his 5th Grade home class to work hard--to become champions. Joe Don idolizes Mr. Connell, and decides to follow the teacher's suggestion. So, as Dewey Johnson's SUMMER OF CHAMPIONS opens, in January 1956 in Roswell, New Mexico, Joe Don has made a good start. He presents his mom with a straight-A report card. But don't be fooled. As Joe Don endeavors to meet his goal, he's no Mr. Goody Two-Shoes. Dewey Johnson sees to it that Joe Don does all the things a boy might between excelling in school and working a Saturday job. Joe Don wonders what girls are like, clowns in church, and tangles with his principal. He has a back yard fort, and two friends with whom he sneaks out after dark to hunt Martians. Altogether, his life seems placid, punctuated only by bad knock-knock jokes, and kid angst--like will he make the Little League All-Stars, or will Janet Mitchum one day be his girl friend? However, Joe Don's life isn't totally smooth. He barely remembers his father, who died in the Korean War. His mother makes little money. Then Mr. Connell does something horrible, and goes to jail. No one will quite talk about what happened, except to say that it involved some 6th Grade boys. Believing these kids made up stories about Mr. Connell, Joe Don punches a couple of them in the nose. His grades slip, bullies make his life impossible, girls start chasing him, a good friend dies in a fire, and suddenly he's fighting with his mom. Overwhelmed, he decides he'll never be a champion. Then he receives a letter from Mr. Connell, with one more piece of advice about reaching that objective. Anyone who has ever survived growing up will love Dewey Johnson's SUMMER OF CHAMPIONS. Johnson touches on feelings and needs that both boys--and girls--have as they leave childhood. Writing in the first person through Joe Don's eyes, Johnson catches moments to which everybody can relate: a first kiss, a narrow escape, a moment outsmarting mom, a moment in which mom outsmarts a kid. SUMMER OF CHAMPIONS is also filled with incidents, language, and ideas that anyone will instantly recognize, if they reached their teens in the late 50s and early 60s . However the story will appeal to anyone who has lived through puberty, because in some ways, growing up in 1956 was no different than growing up at any other time. Today's kids may dodge different bullets, but they have the same feelings and needs their parents and grandparents had. That realization is the best message that SUMMER OF CHAMPIONS and Dewey Johnson leave on the book's last page.

Remember Simpler Times

Remember "Indian Burns", "Big Chief" writing tablets, and storing school supplies in cigar boxes? In the "Summer of Champions", Dewey Johnson reminds us of what life was like in a simpler time. Kids took responsibility for themselves, playing outside until their moms called them for dinner, and riding bikes all over town. His novel, set in the 50's, tells of people in a small town watching over each other. He shows how we are meant to live as a community. A great read for those who want to remember a less stressful time. Sandia Ladies Bookclub

"Refreshing"

"Summer of Champions" is refreshing. Read just for the story, it is an entertaining look at the 1950's through the life of a young boy, his single mother and their friends. Read more deeply, it has spiritual guidance for dealing with the curves life throws, making moral decisions, the value of caring for one another, and the importance of community. A book with character and richness. When finished, you feel refreshed.

A Grand Slam

Set in Roswell, New Mexico in the 1950's, "Summer of Champions" takes a profound look at the idea of championship. Joe Don, the story's eleven-year-old hero is not into "profound". He is into baseball, and school, and girls, and aliens but not necessarily in that order. He is creative, funny and charming. His love of jokes and humor make him unforgettable. The plot is filled with action, and daily life. It is beautifully written and brilliantly plotted. If you don't mind laughing out loud while considering weighty issues, this is your cup of tea.

A Homer

Dewey Johnson has hit a homer with his first novel, Summer of Champions. The author weaves a bittersweet story of a young boy's coming of age in the Southwest of the 50's. Joe Don's trials and joys are both poignant and hilarious. The characters are well developed and memorable. A wonderful read for those who remember the innocence of childhood in a time less complex.