Playing Catch with My Mother: Coming to Manhood When All the Rules Have Changed

Greg Lichtenberg's memoir is one of the most insightful and enjoyable books I have read in years. A writer with a photographic memory and a flair for vivid yet unique descriptions, he evokes the details of my own childhood during the 1970's. But this remarkable story goes further than just memories. In a subtle, funny, and beautiful manner, Lichtenberg quietly guides the reader through a society that has very much changed over the past 30 years with regard to gender roles, the fracturing of the nuclear family, parents' expectations of their children and children's expectations of their parents. Through well-chosen and keenly described poignant moments, this book provided insight into not only my own life as a young girl raised during this confusing time, but also what it meant for my male peers. Lichtenberg is an extremely observant and talented writer, and I eagerly look forward to reading his future works.

I really enjoyed Lichtenberg's book. I grew up in the 60's too, a decade and a half older than the author. His memories of that period revived mine. I could taste and smell the confusion and remember what it felt like as I, too, without guideposts to follow, tried to sort out what the change meant for me as a woman. I enjoyed the book for all the flap promised -- especially the "intensity of a child's perceptions," but oh, there was so much more: The freshness of his descriptions and analogies; the honesty of the dialog; the insights into a boy, which I would have expected, but equally strong insights into girls; and the ending, which was left just as endings should be. I can't wait for Lichtenberg's next book.

Though I am female and well past 40, when I read this book I thought that somehow the author was writing about my life. The voice of the little boy captured my attention on page one because he was describing feelings I had as a little girl, watching the battleground that was our home. I understood the anger and confusion that came of broken dreams, broken promises, criticism and children who, though loved, were placed unwittingly into the fray. This was a beautiful memoir, beautifully written with humor to balance pathos. This book is not simply about a boy growing up and spilling his guts about bad times. It makes the reader think about the things that went wrong, and why they went wrong. Greg Lichtenberg speaks for men AND women of all ages.

This is a great story. I loved how he mixed the unremarkable (day camp crushes) with the more unusual memories (contact high with hippie parents!) to make a compelling, realistic life story that I felt like I lived alongside him. Beautifully written, a wonderful quick read -- I recommend it.

I found this book totally absorbing. As a female born at the tail end of the babyboom, I was gratified to know that a generational "little brother" was able to glean so much from his childhood experiences as an offspring of the first cohort of people who'd experienced the "sexual revolution". Skillfully written and immensely thought provoking. Gives me hope that, one day in the very distant future, the Battle of the Sexes could possibly be resolved.