The Preacher's Boy

by Terry Pringle

Relates the experiences of a young man growing up in a small Texas town in the shadow of his strict preacher father.

288 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published March 1, 1988

Reviews

[Kelly M Hunt · Rating 2 out of 5]

It was laborious reading and I skipped an awful lot of pages without feeling I missed much. I don't think it was for me

[Mmars · Rating 4 out of 5]

First, I'd like to say that this was not written as a YA book. School Library Journal gave it a YA rating (if it's truly a YA book SLJ gives it grade levels) Often the protagonist in such rated adult books will be a teen, in this case the 18-year-old son of a Baptist pastor in Texas. The activities and thoughts 18-year-olds partake in may not be considered appropriate for 14-year-olds (who are considered proper to market to by YA publishers.) Such is the case here. For example, there is backroad passionate activity - meaning young love. But the focus of the book is the struggle between father preacher and growing independent son.

The story takes place during the summer between high school and college. The father is a strict Baptist and strict father. There's rebellion. There's groundings and lots of parental diatribing, but there's also the desire of the son to have common ground with his father. But, enter the ups and downs and hormones of first love, and things get really difficult.

This was published in 1988, but the conflicts and struggles of strict parents and their children will always exist. Good book. Liked it. It's honest, and any religiously strict parent who thinks this couldn't happen to them is living in denial.

[Sharon Zink · Rating 5 out of 5]

I found this book on the Young Adult shelves in our library. It should not have been there. It is definitely a story for adults. It is about conflicts in the life of a preacher's son, including very much conflicts with his father. It is about how the son comes to faith, although not the faith of his father. And it is definitely not a religious book.