Poppa’s Boy: Coming of Age in the Great War
The year is 1917 and the United States has just declared war on Germany. Teenager Bucky
Riley, a Burlington, Vermont, native, is eager to join the American forces off to fight in what is
called the Great War now raging in Europe. The big reason—his father, a Rough Rider hero of
the Spanish-American War and famous war correspondent, believes Bucky is a “Momma’s
Boy,” rather than the rough and tumble “Poppa’s Boy” he wishes him to be. Bucky wants to
prove to his father and to himself that he’s not a Momma’s Boy. But he’s only 15—legally far too
young to join the Army—and that’s a problem. Nevertheless, Bucky thinks he knows a way
around the age issue. With his father off covering the war for a New York newspaper and not at
home and with his mother never going to let him go to war, Bucky runs away in the dark of night
to join the legendary Fighting 69th Regiment and make it to war-torn France to fight the Hun.
That’s when his adventures, romance and journey through hell begin—a journey that transforms
him from a “Momma’s Boy” to a “Poppa’s Boy.”
Bravo! The three-part structure and integration of impressive research combine to make the experiences of Bucky’s “coming of age” a compelling and totally engrossing tale. Particularly effective is the blending of geographic detail, historical data, a sense of contemporary social attitudes, and the horrors of WW I. I expected to enjoy your work, but I did not expect to be so emotionally moved.
—Thomas Brocco, former college dean
What a good story framed by the author’s knowledge of history. He winds the travels of a young boy who follows his father’s travel to WW1 in Europe and experiences the terror and heroics of that time. A best read for those young people searching for a purpose in life.
—Tom Hackett, financial executive