Escaping Innocence: A Story of Awakening* - David Justin, an Italian-Catholic, height-challenged youth, desperately trying to escape the bonds of sexual repression and adolescent innocence that hold him captive - in the Sixties. The journey of enlightenment is both laugh-aloud funny and gut-wrenchingly emotional, as David discovers that coming-of-age is more than just a five-minute roll in the hay culminating in a thirty-second celebratory shower. The book is filled with universal characters and rip-roaring adventures, including a hilarious spring break trip to Key West, Florida, involving a gay artist, goats, fleas, and...well...you get the picture.
This is a book for anyone who's old enough to remember the Age of Aquarius, drive-in movies, the Ed Sullivan Show, Bonanza, and network TV. I'm talking Baby Boomers. They are the ones who will really appreciate - or should I say "dig" - Escaping Innocence: A Story of Awakening. I hope you will enjoy the journey. Peace and love, man!
*This book started out as a memoir and, of its own accord, morphed into a novel. You’ll have to judge for yourself what is truth and what is fiction - I’ll never tell!
“I have really enjoyed reading [Joe] Perrone Jr.’s “Escaping Innocence.” This humorous novel was a very good read, with a good sense of dark humor. I wasn’t able to put it down. I truly felt as if I were in a WAYBACK MACHINE back to the ‘60s. An easy to follow adult fiction...thoroughly entertaining. Five stars from me.”
—SP Magazine Book Reviews
“I was a child of the sixties, so I can relate...this is an hysterical reflection of a time in history that is remembered [for its tragedy and] not so much for its comedy. Written with a sharp with [and] a tender heart. I loved it! (bought it for my older brother, too).”
—PAGE TURNER - San Francisco, CA
“As a product of the sixties, I really enjoyed this book. Growing up in the sixties is an experience that many people can only imagine, and the fleeting scenes of Woodstock are the only flashes the kids of today get of that magical era. This book is well written and flows nicely. The humor is right on key, and gives the real experience of “Sex, Drugs, and Rock ‘N’ Roll.”
—Don E. Rainwater, Sheridan, WY
