Flatbellies: 25th Anniversary Edition (Hardcover) (ISBN-13: 9798991328043)

Any time anybody thinks about memorable and moving "coming of age" stories American Graffiti, Hoosiers, and Stand By Me immediately come to mind. Now the foursome is complete.

Alan Hollingsworth's novel, Flatbellies, is a fictionalized memoir of his teenage years in the heartland of America.

Set in a small Oklahoma town in the contentious 1960s - a place that was simple but a time that was confusing - Flatbellies is partly about the seemingly unreachable goal of a high school golf team trying to win the state championship. Most of all, though, Flatbellies is the story of Chipper, Jay, L.K., Buster and the unforgettable Peachy and their friends as they learn to deal with love, loss, friendship, fear, triumph, tragedy, growing up and growing old. And just when you think the author cannot come up with any more unique characters, someone named Smokey Ray Divine struts onto the first tee at the local golf course, and a streetfighter nicknamed "Neander T" cruises menacingly through the local teen hang-out.

Flatbellies is a charming and beautifully written novel by Alan B. Hollingsworth. You will hate for this book to end, but you will love the way it does.

"More than just a Hoosiers for golf, Flatbellies succeeds thanks to Hollingsworth's engaging characters and what this reviewer recalls as accurate depictions of teen situations and feelings. ...Non-golf fans needn't shy away from Flatbellies..."

--Mike Snider, USA Today