The Side-Yard Superhero by Rick D. Niece

Title: The Side-Yard Superhero
Author: Rick D. Niece
Publisher: Synergy Books
Publication Date: March 1, 2009
Format: Hardcover, 192 pages
Age Group: Adult, non-fiction
Series: Life in DeGraff: An Automythography (book 1)

Rick D. Niece recounts his time growing up in DeGraff, Ohio in The Side-Yard Superhero. In this first book of a trilogy, readers are introduced to some of the colorful characters of Niece's childhood, including a young man named Bernie Jones who is wheelchair bound due to cerebral palsy. Rick and Bernie become friends when Rick takes time on his paper route to really get to know Bernie.

I very much enjoyed getting to know the people of DeGraff through Rick Niece's memories. Each of the people that the reader meets along the way had some sort of impact on Niece's life and helped shape him into the man he is today. The stories flow easily, as if the reader is actually listening to Niece remember. He easily conveys the warm feelings that he continues to carry for these people and this town.

Interspersed with the stories are poems. These poems demonstrate strongly how large of an impact these people had on Niece's life as he searches for some universal truths or meanings in the experiences they shared.

The Side-Yard Superhero is a wonderfully written memoir and a fantastic beginning to a trilogy. I am looking forward to the next two installments and learning more about the folks in DeGraff.

Thank you to Elizabeth at Phenix & Phenix Literary Publicists for sending me The Side-Yard Superhero.

2009 Reading Challenges

1st in a Series Challenge