The Peach Tree Limb

The author relives adventures he experienced in 1940's and 1950's California as the son of a conman who served six prison terms and was married five times. Ranging from humor to serious, we go from Midnight the nanny goat baby-sitter to nearly driving the pickup off a cliff and getting the truck off the train tracks seconds before a freight train roared by, and a most unusual birthday present. In a series of 50 anecdotes, the author paints an entertaining and nostalgic portrait of the time period as he lived variously with eight sets of parent substitutes, including two foster homes. Overcoming polio, and after being mainly an observer during recess, the telling of how he realized he was the fastest kid in school is well worth the read. It is a triumphant book of how one boy held everything together through faith and the solid anchor provided by his grandparents, who lived on a truck farm/chicken ranch across the street from where Disneyland later was built.