TLC Blog Tour Review: Never Hug A Nun by Kevin Killeen

Never Hug A Nun
Kevin Killeen
Blank Slate Press
December 8, 2012
182 pages
Amazon B&N
provided by publisher
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4/5 Books

AUTHOR’S MISSPENT BOYHOOD INSPIRES COMIC NOVEL ABOUT GROWING UP IN WEBSTER GROVES

From first crushes and cafeteria lines, hidden forts and secret passwords, learning the Cub Scout oath and robbing the Ben Franklin, to hanging out on the train tracks, running from the police, enduring stuffy classrooms and, of course, dodging projectile vomit, Never Hug a Nun laces the reader into the Keds of young Patrick Cantwell—a boy who really wants to be good, but who, like his hero The Wolfman, always seems to fall short.
Set in Webster Groves in 1966, the story takes readers on a laughing, head-shaking, I-remember-doing-that-stuff ride through the rigors of practicing good penmanship, the rites of spring kickball, unsupervised summer days filled with Velvet Freeze daydreams of starting a band at least as good as The Beatles, and, finally, to those dying seconds when a boy reaches out bravely to hold the 220-volt live wire of a girl’s hand.

About The Author:
A reporter with KMOX radio since 1995, Kevin Killeen has confused listeners for the past ten years with his regular morning feature, A Whole ‘nother Story. Killeen has also authored the KMOX Holiday Radio Show, an original comic play with a holiday theme, for the past 15 years or so. In Never Hug a Nun, Killeen attempts to escape his declining faculties, by casting his mind back to the days of his youth when he spent long summer days on the train tracks or hanging out at the Velvet Freeze and wishing he were a teenager.

A 1982 graduate of UMSL, Killeen studied fiction writing under comic novelist David Carkeet who corrupted him with thoughts of getting published someday. Married with four children, Killeen enjoys asking his kids — again — to please, pick up their shoes, moving the sprinkler around a dying lawn, and going to garage sales on Saturday with his mother.

My Review:

I’m not one to read a lot of books that are based on real life. They usually do not hold my attention for long, and I end up not reading them at all. But, reading the description on this book, I couldn’t pass it up. It sounded great. So, I sat down with this book, hoping against hope that I could finish. And did I? I dang sure did! I read it from first page to last in one setting and I was laughing through out. This author brought a story based on his childhood and turned it out into a book that anyone will love to read.

Can you remember your childhood? Was it fun? Was it awkward? I can remember mine and it was all about the fun and games. Well sorta. Sometimes it was a bit awkward. I had my first boyfriend at age 5. He was the sweetest little guy. So, I started a bit earlier than Patrick did with his discovery of Ebby, the little girl in first grade that has caught his eye.

Patrick and Ebby were sweet as the dickens! Loved the way the author told the story through Patrick and showing us Ebby. As Patrick faced the life of a Catholic school student and growing up, learning and discovering, we, as a reader, get the chance to live that time through him. And what a humorous journey that was!

Life’s not always easy, even when your 8. But, Mr. Killeen has captured it in a laugh-out-loud way, keeping the reader hooked until the end. If you love a good laugh when you read, then you should definitely grab this book up. It’s a 4 Book worthy book that will leave you with a new perspective on life. Well done, Mr. Killeen!