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Overview
There are tough times ahead for sixteen-year-old Billy. After his mother dies, he goes to Fort Worth with his father, whose drinking and gambling leave them all but penniless. Desperate to make a life for himself, Billy heads over to Colonial Country Club, where he hopes to get work as a caddie. He finds much more than he bargained for.
Before long, Billy makes a place for himself behind the privileged walls of Colonial. His attitude draws the approval of an eccentric millionaire club member, while his looks draw the attention of the millionaire's beautiful granddaughter—much to the displeasure of her boyfriend, the club champion. But Billy's run of luck is short-lived, as he confronts the hard realities of the world and of human nature both on and off the golf course. Now, Billy must face down his fears and doubts about where he comes from, where he wants to go, and who he really is. Bud Shrake's Billy Boy is an unforgettable coming-of-age tale of life, love, and beating the odds, set against the far-reaching horizons of the American West.
Synopsis
In this unforgettable novel set in Fort Worth, Texas in the early 1950s, sixteen-year-old Billy, after a series of awful mishaps, finds himself working as a caddie behind the walls of privilege at the Colonial Country Club.
School Library Journal
Adult/High School-Fort Worth, 1951, is the setting for this coming-of-age novel in which Billy learns about life and love through the Zen of golf. Having just lost his mother to cancer, the 16-year-old and his handsome, drunken, irresponsible father leave Albuquerque, NM, and settle in Texas. Within a short period of time, Billy is on his own, his father having first gambled away everything they owned and then gotten killed in an accident. Shrake weaves real personalities into this novel-champion golfer Ben Hogan, deceased golf-course builder John Bredemus (taking the form of an angel), and famed golf instructor Harvey Penick. Billy learns to confront his poverty, his parents' deaths, and his future through the wise intervention of the eccentric angel and fortuitous opportunities. Having landed a job as a caddie at the famed and prestigious Colonial Country Club, the teen has to earn his place in the caddie yard, deal with class-conscious members, a snooty beauty, and the club's junior champion. Through Hogan and Bredemus, Billy learns to apply the skills of a talented golfer to the business of life. This is really a fairy tale with a feel-good ending, but there is enough teenage angst and golf to appeal to reluctant young adult readers.-Carol DeAngelo, Kings Park Library, Burke, VA Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information.
Editorials
From the Publisher
Larry McMurtry Billy Boy is a brilliant novel, accurate as to golf, struggle, human emotion and 1950s Fort Worth. Bud Shrake has done himself proud.Dan Jenkins Billy Boy is a marvelous and inspiring novel. A story of honor and the human spirit, and you don't even have to play golf to enjoy it.
Darrell Royal The same way a great golfer makes the game look easy, Bud Shrake has written a book that does everything for you but turn the pages. Reading this book is like watching a great movie that pulls you in and keeps you going until you are finished and wanting to live it again....For golfers this book is a pure joy. You've gotta read it!
Don Meredith I love this book. It touches me deeply on several levels.