Christoper McCarthy, a 12-year-old Irish-American kid from just outside Philadelphia (PA), defies a psycho altar boy and is beaten senseless in a graveyard. When he comes to, he discovers he can speak with the crucified Christ in his church.
It's spring 1957. Life is slower, families are stronger, and friendship lasts forrever. But, violence swirls around quirky teenagers and adults as rock and roll pulses from the radio. Chris must open up and redeem the lives of others, while he struggles to make sense of his own. Moby Dick, a devilish teenager who carries a nightstick, Mr. Peanut, a suicidal teacher, and Ted Mack's Original Amateur Hour (the '50s version of American Idol) are woven through this sad and funny story.
Loneliness and hope are the backbeats in this coming-of-age novel about caring, conscience, and serious slow dancing.
