An engaging, often hilarious coming-of-age novel of uncertainty and discovery oozing with early 90s nostalgia.Funny and unpredictable...(Charles) proves impressively adept at capturing the inchoate ache of adolescent longing. Washington Post Its 1992, and America is caught in the grip of major Angst. In Washington, D.C., George H. W. Bush is rattling the mother of all sabres at Saddam Hussein. In Seattle, Curt Kobain is heady with the smell of teen spirit. And in Kalamazoo, MI, Vim Sweeney is trying to put off adulthood and all that comes with it (whatever that is) as long as he can. Hes already juggling guitars, girls, and graduationand a biological father who Wants To Be Involved. And he still cant convince his friends why local schoolboy hero Derek Jeter is bound for obscurity. How can he possibly handle the future when he cant even cope with right now? Grab Onto Me Tightly As If I Knew the Way traces Vims stumble toward adulthood as he comes to terms with his parents, balances friendships and infatuation with varying levels of success, and accepts that the things he thought would last forever probably wont. Big-hearted and laugh-out-loud funny, it introduces an exciting and imaginative new writer who deftly captures the follies, foibles, and fun of adolescence for readers of every age.