Brown’s father is depicted as a domineering figure whose abusive behavior is justified as discipline. This harsh upbringing instills in Brown a rebellious spirit against authority figures, leading him into trouble with the law and a brief stint in the Navy. The memoir vividly describes instances of physical and verbal abuse, such as when Brown’s father uses his watch as a weapon to control the severity of his blows.

As Brown navigates adolescence in Texas amidst counterculture movements, he grapples with his identity while trying to escape his father’s shadow. The story culminates with Brown traveling to Europe with a friend, symbolizing his attempt to break free from his father’s influence.

Author David Brown had a very violent father. His fist, his belt, whatever he felt was needed to discipline his two oldest sons. That's how he saw it, too--it was discipline. It wasn't abuse. Strangely, since the author described all the violence in a matter-of-fact way, I soon became desensitized to the abuse. It was expected. It was business as usual in the family. Life went on for everyone. The story was readable.

Until it wasn't. For me, that had little to do with the violence by both Mr. Brown and his father, but all that happened after the family moved to Texas. The more I read about the author's life in Texas, the less readable the memoir seemed. I started skimming big time and ended up skimming until the very end of the book. This is more a memoir for males, in my opinion. The violence, the profanity, the day-to-day, year-to-year life of a boy army brat. It unfortunately became impossible to stay interested.