Search - The Arizona Kid

Charming coming of age story about a young guy who spends the summer in Arizona with his gay uncle and the denizens of a seedy run down race track where he's got a summer job.

In many ways this is a typical story of the teen virgin and the summer he finally gets laid and still it's well worth the time that it took to read it. The characters are likeable and real. The dialogue is cheeky and funny and the situations ring true.

I first went to the track with my father when I was less than 10 and have been a racing enthusiast ever since. This milue has its own strange traditions and mysteries and we get to see a bit of that here but its mostly background. The real story is a short young guy who learns that he's tall enough when it counts. He also lerns a bit about making love, friendship, acceptance and self confidence. Overall this is a healthy enjoyable read with an accent on the good times and surprisingly free of the pathos and tragic aspects of so many teen reads.