There's some five star storytelling in this book that tells a tale of two brothers growing up with their mother and her feckless boyfriend in the hippie culture of Berkeley, CA in the 70's. I loved the portrayal of Steven's relationship with his little brother (protective) and his very "hands off" mother. There are some very heartwarming moments, and I liked how the author portrayed the boyfriend as not abusive, but also not exactly embracing of his role in the family.

However, I can also see why this author ended up going the self publishing route; he really didn't seem to quite know who his reader should be. The book reads more like a YA book as it is narrated by an eleven year old. However, I really couldn't get my mind around Steven being eleven. He seemed more like fifteen at a minimum with an adult perspective even for that age.

In addition, the sex, drugs and violent aspects of the book are too much for the book to be marketed as YA even though I think the story overall was one to which a teenager could relate.

Throughout the book, I was thinking four stars, but the ending seemed overly dramatic in comparison to the rest of the story. And out of character for the protagonist. The first 4/5th of this book had a more literary, realistic feel, and the final scene took me somewhere else.

All in all, I enjoyed the ride because of the very realistic portrayal of the relationships throughout most of the book . . .I was cheering for Steven the whole way (until the very last chapter). ( )