Timberg, a Baltimore Sun
writer, calls "twilight time" a special moment in America's turbulent coming-of-age, a time that found him a bewildered Queens kid, confounded by the Cold War, civil rights campaigns and the rise of the youth movement. He found refuge in playing football with a local team and befriending maverick coach Larry Kelly and a cast of motley characters. During Timberg's stint as a high school running back, he thought football embodied "the feel of war"—namely passion and courage, which were "the things we prized." Timberg is at his narrative best when he juxtaposes his confusing puberty period with the bigger national picture, as when he writes, "Sinatra was about holding hands at midnight. Elvis was about getting laid." He's also a capable chronicler of his quirky parents, both show business types, and he documents their lasting influence on his and his sisters' lives. Through the years, Timberg's old football team changed with the loss of players and the coach, but Timberg, accepted as a midshipman at Annapolis Naval Academy in 1960, kept up his friendships with his former teammates. While Timberg feels nostalgic for the old neighborhoods and his cronies, he excels when he discovers a larger world. Agent, Flip Brophy
. (Oct. 12)
FYI:
Timberg's 1996
The Nightingale's Song was a
New York Times Notable book.
