Eric Poole shares his pre-adolecent adventures about his OCD mother, his “Mr. Mom” father and his rebellious older sister, Val. When his parent’s have a fight that ends with his dad walking out one night Eric finds an old blanket and transforms himself into Endora from Bewitched to conjure up some magic to bring him back. The next day, Eric’s father returns and sets the stage for an impressionable young boy to believe he has powers. Each essay is about a time when Eric used his “magic” to make something come true; however since his magic isn’t real the results are never what he envisioned.
Pretty sure this is my 4th or 5th memoir about a gay boy coming of age. I’m not sure if I’m unintentionally seeking them out or if the middle aged gay writers of today all came of age in the 70s and had hilarious exploits worthy of anyone’s attention. There are only a few chapters that allude to Poole’s eventual realization that he is homosexual although it’s clear he is a bit “different” then his peers.
Quick, enjoyable read about a young boy who creates his own universe to cope with the real world he finds himself in.
