Bank robbery, bull riding in the rodeo, a western movie, and Rustlers, among other events, occur as young Rick is on a cross-country trip, hitchhiking from a small Ohio town to California. This alternate history is of what should have been rather than what has been. With wit and humor and no teenage angst, we follow a young man's coming of age in the late 1950s. Starting in the summer before his freshman year, it follows him through his high school life, where he learns golf is his game. He finds fame and fortune as an inventor and wealth in Hollywood as he searches for a girlfriend. Wealth and fame prove far easier than girls. The songs, movies, and books of the 1950s and 60s are nostalgic to some. The action and adventure thrill others.

All readers enjoy the realistic flow of life, give or take a lie or two. Follow Rick from the excitement of his summer to the dullness of high school life while he proves that school isn't always dull.