American Boy

I just finished American Boy by Larry Watson. If that author’s name sounds familiar to some of you, it is because our book group read his Montana 1948. This story, American Boy, is also about a young man (17), a doctor, and coming of age. It is set in western Minnesota in 1962. For the same reasons that I liked Montana 1948, I liked this book: plain strong writing, vivid characters, and the author’s ability to imagine the world through the eyes of a different age.

While Watson was born in North Dakota, he is, and has been for some time, a Wisconsin author. He taught at UW-Steven Point for 25 years. Currently he lives in Milwaukee and teaches at Marquette University.

Read the Denver Post review of this book.