Thanks to Rose City Reader for hosting this meme. To participate, share the first line or two of the book you are currently reading and, if you feel so moved, let us know what your first impressions were based on that first line.
The Boy Kings of Texas is a memoir by a man who grew up in the barrios of the Texas-Mexico border. It begins:
They were children themselves, my mother and father, when they started having children in 1967 on the border of South Texas. Dad had just graduated from high school and in a panic asked my mother to marry him because he wanted to avoid the Vietnam War draft. Mom had eagerly agreed, in order to escape something even worse.
And so we get right into it. While not necessarily a comfortable book, it feels authentic to me, and I’m enjoying it.
This quotation comes from an uncorrected advance proof and is subject to change.
Filed under: book beginnings | Tagged: memoir, nonfiction, Texas |
pagesofjulia 
Interesting. My dad was drafted in the Vietnam War, so this sounds close to home. I didn’t know that you could get out of the draft through marriage though.
Here’s my Book Beginnings.
Yea, that part is beyond my scope and threw me a little bit too. Needs some research maybe.
Author here: Dad spoke about marrying quickly and becoming a father as a way to move further down the spectrum from 1A to 4F. Apparently, it worked, because he wasn’t drafted, and three of his cousins were. @Julia: It’s a tough read, yes. Thank you for posting.
Hey, it’s always great to have an author visit! Thank you Domingo for stopping by to visit and clear that up for us; I understand perfectly now.
Yeah, that was pretty cool. And I learned something new about the draft.
Great beginning, and interesting about the draft.
Authentic is better than comfortable!
I deeply, deeply agree.
Sounds like he had a plan and carried it though. Here is my post: Book Beginnings