Overview
Peter Applebome grew up obsessed by box scores, so when his son, Ben, joined Little League he happily assumed he'd be spending Ben's childhood at the ballfield. But what Ben really liked was hiking and camping-and when he joined the local Scout troop Applebome reluctantly went along for the ride.
As someone who had never made a fire except in a gas grill and tied knots only in his shoelaces, Applebome was an unlikely recruit. Taking us from the low points to the unexpected triumphs and through all the trekorees and derbies in between, Applebome hikes the trail from tenderfoot skeptic to proud Scout dad. Offering affectionate portraits of the motley group of boys in the troop, he also laces his very funny narrative with an informal but fascinating history of Scouting and grapples with the modern-day controversies that will help determine Scouting's future.
Synopsis
"He accomplishes everything except tying knots and conveys his experiences with self-deprecating humor, giving a balanced and informed account....lively and light-hearted."
- The New York Times Book Review
"Charming . . . Applebome joins with his son and finds the old-school group can still bring dads and kids closer to nature and to each other, even while impaling a canoe on river rocks." - US News and World Report
As someone who had never made a fire except in a gas grill, Peter Applebome was an unlikely recruit for the Boy Scouts. Still, when his son, Ben, declared a preference for hiking and camping above Little League, Applebome reluctantly followed Ben into the local troop - and hiked the trail from tenderfoot skeptic to proud Scout dad. Offering affectionate portraits of the motley group of boys in the troop, he also laces his narrative with an informal but fascinating history of Scouting and grapples with the modern-day controversies that will help determine Scouting's future.
"Brave, clean and not too reverent."—Roy Blount Jr.
PETER APPLEBOME is a writer and editor for the New York Times, and served as bureau chief in both Houston and Atlanta. He lives in Chappaqua, New York.
The New York Times
Applebome, an editor at The Times, intersperses interviews, profiles and facts concerning the Boy Scouts into his reminiscences, giving a balanced and informed account. — Diane Scharper