Author Mike Hatch delivers originality and energy with The Dumb Class: Boomer Junior High; A coming-of-age flashback story that offers readers a gritty, humorous, and boldly creative romp through life with a group of high school friends.
The story, which takes place in the 1960s, follows “baby boomer” friends Bill Jones, Eddie, Jeff and Harley through their formative years at Boomer Junior High School. The events are detailed by Bill Jones, who is also the protagonist of the story. Taken as a whole, the teens are a cast of strong-willed, hard-drinking, smoking, sexual, and scheming young men whose friendships and wits lead them through many escapades and life experiences. Jones, in particular, makes for a compelling character to follow. He has wit and a peculiar charm and yes. Although in the lowest of the class designations in high school, “the dumb class”, he appears to be one of the most intelligent and conniving.
Instantly intriguing from the outset, the story grabs your attention and piques your interest with an opening scene of a crudely humorous discussion of female anatomy, held by the group of friends, which serves to focus the various lead actors and establishes the The tone of the story is replete with humorous, crude depictions of adolescent life and behavior. As the story progresses, follow their adventures, experiences, and explorations fueled by lewd desires, curses, teen angst, drugs, alcohol, and other distractions such as revenge. As characters, their unique personalities and interactions drive the story forward, while heralding authenticity through bits infused with historical and cultural references.
Overall, I found The Dumb Class: Boomer Junior High to offer not only an entertaining read, but also a multifaceted look at the cultural and sociological avenues of life that 1960s teens encountered and explored. In fact, I personally found the story to be a combination that is somewhat reminiscent of Stand By Me, Grease, and Porkies. Just a word of warning, this is an adult read as the level of sexuality in this book is quite graphic, especially for fourteen and fifteen year olds. Overall though, I enjoyed the read and kudos to author Mike Hatch who did a great job portraying his story. He cleverly brought this memorable coming-of-age story to life with humor, well-developed characters, and period-appropriate vernacular. I recommend this book for mature readers who enjoy dark humor.
