| Title | : | Jedi Summer: With the Magnetic Kid |
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | |
| ISBN | : | - |
| Language | : | English |
| Format Type | : | Kindle Edition |
| Number of Pages | : | 76 |
| Publication | : | Published July 22, 2016 |
Jedi Summer: With the Magnetic Kid Reviews
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JEDI Summer is a coming of age tale set during the time in which I, (mostly) grew up, the glorious 80's.
80's nostalgia seems to be the all the rage now, what with the new Netflix show, Stranger Things, also set during this time. To those of us who grew up back then, nothing can touch our memories of: the advent of cable television and the premiere of MTV, VCRs that were so expensive at the time you had to rent them, (not to mention how BIG they were!), Galaga, big hair bands and so much more. This tale is about the summer when Return of the Jedi came out: 1983.
A semi-autobiographical piece of coming-of-age dark fiction, that's what this is. It's more of a collection of tales set during that summer in a small town; tales peppered with peeks into the dark side. Not only with the death of relatives, which we all experience, but with nasty little scenes that I imagine must haunt Mr. Boden, if they are indeed true. He claims that some of them are, according to James Newman, who penned the introduction.
Having Mr. Newman introduce this book was perfect. His book,
The Wicked, was a coming of age story as is JEDI Summer. John Boden, in addition to being an editor at Shock Totem, (the company that published The Wicked, back in 2012), Mr. Boden is an author and a fine one, at that.
If you have a certain sense of nostalgia for the 80's, and/or a proclivity for dark fiction coming-of-age tales, such as The Wicked, Boy's Life, or Summer of Night, then this novella was written with you in mind. I highly recommend you take an hour and give it a shot!
Available here on July 22, 2016:
https://www.amazon.com/JEDI-Summer-Ma...
*I received a free e-copy of JEDI Summer from Post Mortem Press in exchange for my honest review. This is it!* -
So I’ll admit that, like some other reviewers, the synopsis sounded like this was a coming of age story about the author, that had been stylized a bit to include ghosts or some other horror theme. But it’s not horror. It’s an extremely personal series of stories about the author’s upbringing. The good, the bad, and everything inbetween. And there is a beautiful foreword by James Newman, too. Having written my Preternatural trilogy, which is also very personal to me, as it mirrors some of the worst traumas of my upbringing, I fully appreciate how much time and effort it takes to put a book like this together. Because it’s all out there once it’s published. And you wonder if readers will love it, hate it, or at least appreciate your efforts. It’s extremely intimidating. So kudos for the author’s work here. And, while I’m definitely a handful of years younger than John Boden, I reminisce of my younger years quite a bit. The years when a blanket could protect you from any monster lurking in the dark, when you saw your parents as indestructible, when you would risk certain death to get the newest Ninja Turtle action figure, arcades were still a thing, and, for me, my favorite all time candies were aplenty like Good n’ Fruity (The old licorice-based kind). Just a lot of special times. And though there were a lot of awful things that happened, I found ways to make it through, and even have some fun on the way. Most notably, when I proposed in front of the entire class to my 8-month pregnant health teacher, claiming the child was mine. And those times I went through the Wierd NJ book and disproved all the spooky urban legends. And that time I blasted my dad with a super soaker when he was passed out drunk. Hah! But you’re a kid and things are seen through a totally different lens. Then you grow up and experience certain life-altering events like seeing a dead body for the first time, losing a loved one, and starting your life as an adult. And then you’re grown up and things are totally different. Childhood almost feels like a dream. Life is such an intense and amazing experience like that. And John Boden captured some of the magic that I speak of here beautifully. This is a quick, well-written, and fantastic trip down memory lane. Just a very nice literary experience.
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John Boden's storytelling voice comes from a place of quiet introspection, a knack for remembering details and a rare talent for expressing emotion. It's authentic and genuine. JEDI SUMMER is a semi- autobiographical telling of a memorable summer in a boy's life. Each chapter is a vignette or stitch in time that when read in one sitting are woven together to create a warm, nostalgic blanket for the reader to snuggle up under. I cherished and savored every word because holding it in my hands made me all too aware of its thinness and I wanted to stay in these pages for as long as Boden allowed.
Even though brothers, Johnny and Roscoe were raised by a single mom who wasn't around much because she was working hard at three jobs in order to make ends meet and provide for her sons, I still feel a strong connection to them-we shared so many similar experiences. I was born in 1976 to a young woman who then divorced my bio dad and raised me on her own for a short while until she met my step-dad. I remember making mixtapes by recording songs off the radio, Afgan blankets, waiting for movies to come to our small town, babysitting my siblings and caring for them, renting VHS tapes, role-playing outside until dinner time and encountering weird people and witnessing strange events--also that weird suffocating feeling of having been in the same place for too long. (eventually, this feeling was so overpowering, I expressed to my husband that I *have* to move away. I needed to choose my own adventure. He lovingly agreed)
Basically, JEDI SUMMER appeals to me in a very real way. John Boden taps my personal context and memories as he shares, intimately, his own thoughts and feelings about how stuff went down when he was just a kid.
"You grow up with people your whole life, small towns especially. The people and the place become part of your very fiber. And sometimes, I think the weave may be a bit too strong."
This quote, as well as maybe several others, had me in tears. This is sincerely one of my favorite reading journies. Thank you, John Boden -
Jedi Summer: With the Magnetic Kid
What a catchy title!
Jedi Summer means it’s 1983 and the main character, a 12 or 13 year old boy (the book is inconclusive as to how old he exactly is), spends the summer waiting for Return of the Jedi to come to the cinema near the place he‘s living. Apparently back in 1983 movies took a little longer to come to a small town nestled in the mountains of Pennsylvania. Or the author took some liberties with the dates.
The Magnetic Kid is the first person narrator’s younger brother. Not because he walks around with soda cans and bolts sticking to his skin, no, because some dead dogs and cats are trailing him a lot of the time. The story of the death of one of those poor creatures was heartbreaking. So you’ve been warned.
The kids encounter some supposed to be dead people as well, and they also find an actual corpse at one point. But this is not like Stephen King’s
The Body, even though it sounds somewhat similar, and possibly took some inspiration from that story.
The horror is very toned down in this novella. So much so that I’ve not even shelved it as such. It is more a collection of loosely connected vignettes that tell the story of one peculiar summer in the childhood of young Johnny, who aspires to become a writer and even sends one of his stories to SK, who ends up liking it (or who is just very polite, or maybe drunk).
Because Johnny’s single mother has to work three jobs to keep the family afloat, Johnny and his little brother spend a lot of time on their own and experience some small and also some big adventures.
I like coming-of-age stories, and I liked this one as well. Although I feel like this should have been a lot longer in order to have more of an impact on me. Still, some observations, like for example how our childhood shapes us and the people around us, were interesting to read.I may have called him slow an stupid and a million other names. But I didn’t really mean it. Not in any long term hate kind of way. Kids are kids and by that I say kids are stupid. Kids are assholes. We don’t get that those things have an echo. It would be almost thirty years before my brother would let me know that those things caused wounds and that revelation would make me feel horrible. I still do.
These kind of stories always make me think back to my own childhood, and usually I enjoy this a lot. This book as well brought a lot of things to my mind that I had long forgotten. Or at least I had thought so. Always a nice experience when that happens.
I also enjoyed the many 80’s references. Well, up to a certain point, as I felt the author was sometimes overdoing it a little. In general this book could have used better editing, as some passages where a little bumpy, due to some strange punctuation or syntax. But I don’t want to be too nitpicky. Even though I did notice it a couple of times, overall the writing is fine.
The several loose ends were done on purpose. The author does not aim to resolve much. It’s just about the experience of being a kid. It’s a bit like a childhood mosaic. And of course it’s about the long wait for Return of the Jedi. Isn’t it amazing how time sometimes seemed to almost stand still when we were kids?!
3.5 nostalgic stars
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I thought this was an amazingly good book. It captures the coming-of-age mood perfectly, with a frank and honest assessment of living in poverty that's quite poignant. There's an element of horror (or at least dark magic-realism) through-out, but a few dead creatures hanging around aren't at all important compared to the problems of day-to-day survival in a small-town in 1983. I think this one stands quite well with some of my all-time favorites like Simmons' Summer of Night, King's It, and others by Bradbury, McCammon, or Keene. There's no strictly defined traditional plot, but we see the high and low points of a special summer unfolding in ways that are by turns heart breaking and hilarious. It's a very literate, well-written book... recommended!
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This slim novella is more a series of vignettes than an actual linear story, with side comments that almost read like journal entries. It's unusual, but it works for this book, because the story is so strange and surreal. Boden gives the reader the most important pieces of information from that summer of 1983, with brief comments about how the events of that summer would impact the protagonist's adulthood, and it's just enough.
Two brothers in 1983 have the summer stretched out before them. Roscoe and his older brother Johnny are biding their time before Return of the Jedi finally comes out in their tiny, bizarre town. Until then the brothers have numerous adventures together, and those events, sometimes strange and melancholy, other times downright unsettling or sinister, make up this story.
I love the reason behind Johnny calling Roscoe The Magnetic Kid. It's such a sweet idea. Roscoe is the kind of character that you just want to protect. Even Johnny admits that in retrospect he was much too hard on his brother, and that many of the things he did created scars that lasted into adulthood for Roscoe.
Again, I also really like the structure of this book. Boden gives us the important moments and leaves out the things that didn't stick with him after that summer. James Newman wrote the forward for this novella, and he admits that some of the things in the book actually happened to Boden. When you give me a piece of information like that I go full detective. A lot of the events are so detailed that I really feel like Boden had to experience them. Like the terrible incident with the cow. That felt so real that I'm convinced that actually happened to him. Of course, some of the things are so eerie that if they did happen to him, I can understand why Boden grew up to become a horror writer.
I really loved this little coming-of-age story. I love that it's shocking at times, and strange at times, and totally real and nostalgic at times. This is definitely not a typical coming-of-age tale, and I think that's why I enjoyed it so much. Boden consistently surprised me, and I was completely unable to predict where the story was going. This one may not be for everyone, but it definitely spoke to me. -
Review copy
From the foreward by James Newman...
Jedi Summer is a snapshot of one special moment in time. It is an unconventional coming-of-age tale like nothing I have ever read before.
James Newman really sold me on the story that follows. Be sure and read his foreward, it's nearly as entertaining as the novella which follows.
The tale is told in a series of vignettes of events which occurred from the end of school through the end of Summer in 1983. According to the author, some of these things really happened and others are just stories. It's left to the reader to determine which are which or if it even matters.
The narrative is told by Johnny and it's about his friends and his little brother Roscoe, sometimes referred to as "The magnetic Kid."
John Boden has a way with words. A few favorites include...
My stomach lurching and my Cookie Crisp threatening to vacate the premises.
She laced every interaction with enough honeys and sweeties to pacify a diabetic.
Growing up was a shitty thing to do to someone.
The events of the Summer all center around waiting for RETURN OF THE JEDI to make it's way to the small local theater. An effective sub-plot to add a certain cohesiveness to the overall adventure.
While I would have enjoyed more from the Summer of '83, I certainly enjoyed this quick read.
Jedi Summer with The Magnetic Kid is published by Post Mortem Press and is available in both paperback and for the Kindle. If you subscribe to Kindle Unlimited you may read this book at no additional charge, and if you are an Amazon Prime member you may read it for FREE through the Kindle Owners Lending Library.
According to his bio, John Boden lives a stone's throw from Three Mile Island with his wonderful fasmily. A baker by day, he spends his off time writing, working on Shock Totem or watching M*A*S*H re-runs. -
"You grow up with people your whole life, small towns especially. The people and the place become part of your very fiber. And sometimes, I think the weave may be a bit too strong."
"Nothing is stable and all things are not guaranteed to be what we expect."
A magical coming of age story that should be read by everyone. If you had siblings, a weird childhood, single parents, relatives, the small town experience, or are old enough to remember a life before video games then this story is for you. -
3.5
This was so nostalgic and heartbreaking. I really liked the writing and the way John has with words. I would definitely read more from this author. -
An emotional memory of a special summer!
Jedi Summer
By John Biden
This had a lot of feeling put into it both sad and joyful remembering the summer of '83. I was older, having my second son the year but many of these things are timeless. -
Summer. I think we all have fond memories of summer from when we were growing up as kids. The freedom away from school, playing outside from dawn until dusk with siblings and friends, riding bikes, exploring the woods, going to the swimming pool. The many adventures and maybe misadventures that were had. JEDI SUMMER by John Boden captures those magical moments, those feelings of nostalgia, bottling them up to be treasured and savored, to be remineist upon. A subtle reminder that life is sweet and precious, full of joy and wonder and mystery. But also that life is a fleeting thing, where darkness, doubt, and regret can worm its way in, festering if given the opportunity to do so. Of knowing the cold hard truth that you can’t go back to what was, as time is always trudging forward no matter how hard you may try to push and fight back against it.
John Boden is by far one of my favorite authors that I have discovered since my eyes were opened to the world of indie and small press horror. The man is a wizard of words. There is something a bit magical, something a bit whimsical about his voice as a storyteller. A lyricism can be found in his prose. They say that the pen is mightier than the sword and Boden wields his weapon of choice with a deftness not many others possess. He writes with heart, emotion, and a quiet introspection that comes bleeding across the pages in this semi-autobiographical tale.
It’s the summer of 1983 and RETURN OF THE JEDI is the must see movie event of the year. The final movie in the Star Wars trilogy. Johnny and his younger brother Roscoe wait with great anticipation for the film to come to their small mountain Pennsylvania town. JEDI SUMMER isn’t about that movie though, that’s just the backdrop. This is a tale about family, about the bonds of brotherhood, about growing up and growing older, learning that life isn’t always perfect and happy. Experiencing the struggles of a single mother home, the pain of loss, getting knocked down but getting back up. The events that transpired over the course of that strange and magical summer are told through loosely stitched together vignettes. Small glimpses into the lives of these two boys, these two brothers, and how that one particular summer would come to shape and mold them into the men that would become.
JEDI SUMMER by John Boden is bursting at the seams with an authentic richness. A narrative tapestry woven together with the threads of emotion; happiness, joy, wonder, sadness, and remorse. There is a certain nostalgia, a melancholy I felt while reading this novella that is hard to put into words. A heartwarming, comforting, and at times dark coming of age tale that is like a warm cup of soup for the soul. If you were to take BOY’S LIFE by Robert R. McCammon and condense it down to 78 pages JEDI SUMMER would be what you would get. If you cannot tell by now I loved my time spent within these pages. I only wish it were a bit longer, but such is life. John Boden gets my highest recommendation and if you have not checked out his work you should do yourself a favor and remedy that as soon as possible.
I received a copy of this book from the publisher for review consideration.
Video review:
https://youtu.be/bkz7RBZXtCI -
"It was exciting and sad at the same time. Just like growing up. Just like living. Just knowing that it would eventually fade like an old Polaroid. Or a favorite concert t-shirt.
Just like everything does."
Damn.
I've been staring at the computer screen for entirely way too long, trying to form the words to write this review. Not only because it's challenging to discuss a novella of this length (78 pages) without giving too much of the story away, but also because.. fuck. This story was something like magic! It's one of those books where everything lined up swimmingly. I bought Jedi Summer With the Magnetic Kid last year and I was obviously holding onto it until next summer, this summer. I'm not one of those people that pairs up certain reads with certain seasons. I tend to just read what I want, when I want. Hell, I watched a Christmas special last night.. in the middle of August. I'M WILD, Y'ALL!! But for sure, there are a few books that beg to be read during a particular season. This being one of them!
If you haven't guessed yet from the splendiferous title, this takes place during a memorable summer. The central premise focuses on that of Johnny and his remaining few weeks left of the school year.
He lives with his mom and little brother Roscoe, the Magnetic Kid. The background on how Roscoe receives this nickname is so genuinely sweet, I dare you not to smile!
Johnny and Roscoe are waiting for Return of the Jedi to come to their small town theater with much anticipation. While they wait, weird shit begins to take place.
This family is struggling in many ways, but the underlying sense of love is what holds them together. They make the best with what they have.
"Things are tough all over, and things are scary everywhere... but remember how much tougher and scarier life was when we were children? Or so we thought. Back then, we were so sure it could only get better once we were all grown-up. Adults had the freedom to do the things they wanted to do. They just seemed to have it all together, didn't they? Little did we know what awaits us when we get older: responsibilities, bills to pay, mouths to feed besides our own, health issues as we journey closer to the grave with every passing second.
I think that's why we enjoy a good coming-of-age tale. Because we've been there, when the world seemed so much larger and infinitely more terrifying."
The above quote is taken from the foreword that was written by James Newman. It truly captures the essence of childhood.. at least for many of us. Especially for those of us from small towns! I have mixed feelings about growing up in a small town. It gives me a wistful nostalgia, looking back on it. Coupled with an almost debilitating claustrophobia.
Self-discovery narratives tend to resonate with me, especially when they are weirdos who feel like they don't fit in. Because HELLO! I've been there. I've done that. I am there. I am that!
I devoured these words by Boden. I would read a line that hit me and then another would come along and punch me in the face even harder. Over and over again. The touching prose just ate away at my soul.
This somewhat familiar story brought with it a range of emotions that I was not quite expecting. HOW DARE YOU MAKE ME FEEL MY OWN FEELINGS, GODDAMNIT!! My biggest complaint is that I wanted more. Give me a full-length novel, please! 78 pages isn't nearly enough to satiate my hunger for this glorious tale that is painful, haunting and dripping in nostalgia.
Jedi Summer With the Magnetic Kid spoke to me in a very real way. I just loved it so stupid much!
"I hoped he could always be as happy as he was at that moment. Sometimes hope can be enough." -
3.5 Stars
This is a coming-of-age story set in the 1980s. Told from the perspective of a man looking back on his childhood, this novella was very nostalgic. While this author is known for writing horror, this piece of fiction is not at all dark, but rather a sweet story of brothers growing up in a simpler time. -
4.5-5. What a read.
"...we are all living collages, sculptures in progress...We are history and we are memories. Here are some of mine..." (1).
John Boden crafted something special here in JEDI SUMMER. A brilliant coming of age tale that, from what I gather, carries some very real memories of Boden's own childhood. What you will find within this very brief novella (brevity does NOT equal dissatisfaction; this book is HEAVY) are the memories of a summer cobbled organically into three parts. I love that this is a linear yet non-linear story. When I think of my own childhood, that's how I remember it. In spurts. In vignettes. Somehow all of them intertwine to make a whole picture; this is JEDI SUMMER.
"Let's get home and change then we can slide down the dirt hill...Above us the sun smiled, too. Giggles floated through the air like strange birds" (16).
There are no holds barred here when it comes to the summer Boden relates. It isn't all sunshine and sticky popsicle fingers. Those things are there, of course, but there is grit and honesty and a realism that allowed this reader to experience her own emotions and memories while reading theirs. Grab your hearts and your tissues. Just being honest.
"We were juggernauts and we were tearing a hole in our world, one scabbed knee at a time"(38).
And the writing. JEDI SUMMER is a juxtaposition of joy and sorrow, of hopes and stark reality. There are heart-rending scenes and moments of pure horror, yet they are intermingled with scenes that just made me want to hug "childhood me" and look up to the sky in appreciation. It made me look at my own kids and realize the hurts they had would be tempered with moments of bliss they would only come to realize years later. This book was an experience for me.
"When one is young, dreams are reality in the waiting...Then you grow and life gets stern and the learning gets harder and leaves bruises" (75).
I don't like to compare books to other books in my written reviews, but I do it all the time in my head. I'll share those comparisons with this one. Why? Because I want more people to read this book. Because maybe you've loved one of these other books and this might help you find another favorite like I did. JEDI SUMMER puts me in mind of DANDELION WINE by Ray Bradbury, BOY'S LIFE by Robert McCammon, THE SUMMER THAT MELTED EVERYTHING by Tiffany McDaniel, SKULLFACE BOY by Chad Lutzke (And Of Foster Homes and Files), and so many more.
But this one is all its own. I am glad to have experienced it. I will most certainly read it again, and I will definitely recommend this to others. -
Jedi Summer - well that book just ruined my early night. I enjoyed it so much that I had to stay up
And finish it. Everyone loves a good
Coming of age story don't they? At least I do. This one was different though. It wasn't all perfect memories of laughs, smiles and bike rides. Some of this book was genuinely quite saddening. But a lot of it actually brought a smile to my face as well. I was born mid eighties so didn't really encounter the joys of childhood playing out until the decade after this story is set. That doesn't matter though, the sentiment is there and I could relate to a lot
Of it.
This story is by no means horror, but there were certainly some parts that set a chill down your spine. No one said they saw a ghost as such, but then, they didn't say that the hasn't seen one either.
I think we've all had those moments when we've raised serious questions about something we've seen at one point or another in life. Was it really there?
All round this was a breath of fresh air to read. Very unique and very fun. I would really have loved it to have carried on, but then. It couldn't. Summers over. -
Jedi Summer was a quick read. Too quick in my opinion, not quite enough story development for me to really bond with the main character and his brother. I saw what author Josh Boden wanted to do with it and what was there was touching and entertaining but I was left needing more.
But, for the abbreviated story of one young man's summer, it was interesting and always adventurous. Sometimes I hoped the kid would have just one ordinary day because his summer seemed rife with peril. I hope it wasn't quite that bad for him.
I was hoping for more nostalgia from Jedi Summer. I wanted to reflect on my own coming of age summer Jedi Summer was not the same summer I had so I failed to connect as deeply as the writer was aiming for. Still, if you lived the summer waiting for Return of the Jedi to come to a theater near you, you may find this tugs on just the right heart strings. -
All the parts of a good coming of age tale are here. Nostalgia (the 80's type) is vivid, family ties are strengthened, and the excitement that sadly seems to only exist when you are a kid is conveyed well. Growing up is not all we thought it would be, is it?
I only wish this was a bit longer or went more places. The characters had begun to grow on me and I wanted more. -
I remember hearing about Jedi Summer by
John Boden a while ago when it was included in a Night Worms package and thinking that it sounded pretty cool. So I was thrilled to have been sent a copy by Silver Shamrock Publishing, as it is a wonderful size for reviewing purposes at less than 100 pages.
The cover just evokes the ‘80s also, and one of my favorite coming-of-age tropes – kids on bikes. It oozes nostalgia and simpler times and I am here for it.
You can read Janine's full review at Horror DNA by
clicking here. -
Boden touches on life, love, and loss in JEDI SUMMER WITH THE MAGNETIC KID, a coming-of-age story about two brothers, John, and Roscoe, growing up in the 80s that is not only nostalgic but oh so relatable. The boys spend their summer eagerly waiting for the release of the new JEDI movie and spending time with their mother, who works three jobs to support them.
‘We are history, and we are memories. Here are some of mine:’’
JEDI SUMMER WITH THE MAGNETIC KID—Recommend!
Source:
~Purchased From Night Worms Book Club Monthly Package - November 2020~
~Cover Design by Alex McVey~
~ Thunderstorm Books / Paperback/Own - 11/2020 -
I received this signed copy in the November 2020 "Haunted Harvest" Night Worms package.
I greedily devoured this short book. It is written in an easy, conversational tone that really spoke to me right away. I love the coming of age trope, but this one hit differently. It was painful, sad, and magical in a scary way. There were a few glimmers of shining hope present and I grasped onto them like they were lifeboats, but when I finished the book, I could only sit there aching for a while.
The story follows Johnny and Roscoe (which are actually the names of the author and his little brother, respectively). It is insinuated that the author is reflecting on a truthful, personal retelling of the summer that "Star Wars: Return of the Jedi" came to theatres and he got to see it with his brother. All of the events that lead up to that memorable moment are harrowing, odd, and gut-wrenching. There is a mystical element here that comes up frequently. One example is how the ghosts of the brothers' dead pets spend time with Roscoe. They follow him to school and he and an old lady (who is near death) down the street can see them. It is spoken of like it was just an oddity that was accepted in the family. There are some very brutal experiences that happen to the children. The kind that a lot of us have never actually experienced in our lives, but that seem to come in droves for Johnny and Roscoe. It toughens them up, hardens them to the world, and renders their outlook a bit different than others. I was horrified at a few of the things that these children witnessed.
John Boden writes, "If we'd known then what adulthood was truly like, we'd have savoured every minute of every sun-drenched day for the sumptuous morsel it was. Being children, we scarfed them down, greedily, like so many potato chips or snack cakes. Never to be full." I think this line makes me hurt a little bit more because they saw some awful things, but childhood is childhood no matter what size or shape it comes in, and it has always got that element of magic. We may experience it differently from person to person, but the general consensus always seems to be that growing up means even more pain and loss than anything we experienced when we were young and the world was green and new. "Growing up was a shitty thing to do to someone."
I really liked this book. The parts that were a bit supernatural are not explained in any logical way, which was interesting and seemingly the point. Childhood, the things we once felt and saw, are not always logical, but we still experienced them nonetheless and that alone makes it real for us. This concept is brought to life in a touching and memorable way in "Jedi Summer with the Magnetic Kid."
Review coming soon to Horrorbound.net! -
This is a coming of age story set in the 80’s from the POV of a preteen boy being raised by a single mother. Reading it I could really feel how personal and nostalgic this was to the author. I really like the cover art and the sketches that were in the book.
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"Growing up was a shitty thing to do to someone"...
While that may be true, i could read about someone growing up all day if John Boden wrote about it. There is something so real and unpretentious in his writing that i felt like I was just reading a story someone had written about my own childhood. If course it helps that I grew up around the same time with arcade games and Minit Mart penny candy (in my case the store was Zip-fer, later the Go-fer 😆) as well as VCR rentals, single mothers and amazing 80's music etc, etc. However, I think my favorite parts were John's asides with insights on growing up and taking things for granted and trying not to leave bruises on the souls of the ones you love. Some very sad, yet poignant thoughts lie herein for those that have ears to hear.
I want to thank John for this walk back through my childhood, my mom never hit me with a G.I. Joe, but by God, I'm sure she thought about it a couple of times 😂, and she did beat us with anything else she could get her hand on (yes I said hand, she was a single mother with a single arm, and that one arm had arm had all the strength to spank your ass😂) I always heard things like, "I'll knock you into next week," or, "You're cruisin' for a bruisin!" or, "I brought you into this world, I can take you out!" 😂😆😜
That being said my Mother is a saint who spent every last penny (and I do mean penny) to take care of us....and I turned out pretty good! 😊😁
"It was exciting and sad at the same time. Just like growing up. Just like living. Just knowing that it would eventually fade like an old Polaroid. Or a favorite concert T-shirt. Just like everything does."
This is a sad fact of life, but sometimes someone or something can take you back to those memories so vividly, and today John Boden did that for me. Thank you so much John!
.....will be okay -
An amazing story!
A coming of age story, our teenage protagonist and his young brother Roscoe and I don’t know if I know the older brothers name? I do know the narrator does interject the narrative with musings of his memories that are playing out before us. Hints of supernatural events, like Roscoe and his pack of ghost animals and other human spirits that flit around the peripheral but do not interfere with the story of two young boys, being raised by a single mom in the 80’s and the new Star Wars movie is coming to their backwoods town soon.. until then these brothers see some things, hang into each other as siblings only can with an absent mom working 3 jobs too keep them in food, clothes and a roof over their heads..
No spoilers.. this novella speaks like a lengthy novel .. you will want to read every single word, a monument to family and those unbreakable connections.. maybe in hind sight? Don’t we all want to go back.. fix it? This books speaks to me personally in many levels and to say I’m emotional right now? Yeah.. and for that reason I can not recommend this story more.. Mr. Boden can create the atmosphere that will stick with you for a long time after that final page.. don’t wait, read now! -
I just left STC 3 and left with this book. I was very anxious to read this and it did not disappoint! This book took me back to my childhood and had a very unique and eerie twist to it. There were multiple times that I found myself covered in goosebumps. Johns style of writing captivated me and I read this in one sitting. Highly recommended!
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Certainly commendable in many ways (the setting and period details, especially), I still felt like I had stumbled across a surreal, melancholic version of the SNL skit, "The Chris Farley Show."
As I read I kept hearing in the back of my mind, "Remember that time when that weird stuff happened? Yeah, that was weird." I kept waiting for growth, change, or resolution, but was left wanting.
That's not to say I didn't like Jedi Summer. Boden proves to be a talented writer, and I'm looking forward to seeing his next offering. -
"Nothing is stable, and all things are not guaranteed to be what we expect. As a kid, that is something you never think on and often times, even well into adulthood. But it is a hard and painful lesson to learn when you do."
This is a short one, and while a different kind of story, it is powerful in its honest telling of familial bonds and what small town life is like for the families that in inhabit them. -
This book has been kicking around for a while, in one incarnation or another, and I've glanced at it here and there from more than one publisher. It never seemed to be the right time to read it but it has been on my radar. To be honest the first time I glanced at it the title put me off. What is this? I thought, something about boys and their Star Wars obsession? (Fear not, it isn't!)
Sometimes I take a break from reading horror. Sometimes I end up disappointed and other times, I come away from my break remarkably satisfied. This is one of the latter.
Jedi Summer is a coming of age tale set in a small town in 1983. It is part fiction, part recollection of the author's childhood and entirely spellbinding. It is a memorable summer in the lives of Johnny and Roscoe, two brothers growing up in a poor town, where their mom works 3 jobs just to keep them fed. It's a summer of good times, growing up, and the bittersweet knowledge that nothing can last forever, whether it is the good or the bad times they all must eventually end. This book spoke to me on so many levels. Much like childhood, it passed by quickly and now I don't want it to be over.
I received a complimentary copy from the publisher with no obligation to write a review. -
Heartfelt and haunting is one way to describe this series of remembrances, set in the mid 80's, in a small town in Pennsylvania. The story is mostly semi autobiographical, but reads like a novella, as two brothers enjoy their summer off from school in anticipation of finally getting to see Return of the Jedi. The stories and anecdotes presented here really struck home with this reviewer, having been the same age and doing a lot of the same crazy things (yep, on the skateboard ramp), and numerous pop-culture references really made this a nostalgic but fun trip to read. Weird and scary moments abound here and there to put this up with coming of age classics like THE BODY and BOY'S LIFE. Even fans of STRANGER THING would dig this.
Highly recommended! -
This was a very special novella. I loved reading it. I didn't grew up in the 80s but in the early 90s and tbh, at least hear in Germany, growing up then wasn't much different than in the 80s (we didn't have to wait for the Star Wars movies, though ;) ).
Loved this peace of nostalgia! -
Grab the tissues and be prepared to simultaneously laugh and cry throughout this entire book.
