Cold Air Return - Paperback

by Patrick Lawrence O'Keeffe (Author)

�Eugene, at twelve, discovers that he can listen in on the grownups. A cold air return register in his bedroom, tied to ducts within the walls of his house, is a portal to the adult world around him. But that world puts severe demands on his innocence, suddenly forcing him to face concerns more mature than he is, and, ultimately, to confront the person within him. Cold Air Return is to be enjoyed on many levels. It is about tradition, prejudice, discovery, sex, and cultural values. The story explores who we are, probing the essence of family, camaraderie, community, love, and even baseball.� �Nancy Dunham, former non-fiction editor of The Heartland Today

Back Jacket

This is a coming-of-age story like no other. It awakened in me every urge, thought, surprise and experience a 12 year old boy would naturally have. It was meaningful to me because my father was also a lawyer and we often heard mutterings coming from hushed conferences in his little home office. I found myself alternately laughing out loud then tearing up as I made my way through this splendid adventure. I have to mention one sequence where Eugene first realizes that his father was at last treating him as an adult. It was like the clouds parting and the sun bursting through to shine on this newly arrived man/boy! Written so persuasively and compassionately throughout. -Judge Paul Moon retired