Back to Forest High

Stories

Bob Boone returns to Forest High School in his new book. With his distinctive voice, he gives us another glimpse into the characters that people the school landscape. Back to Forest High tells of new beginnings, youthful mistakes, failed marriages, and uncertain retirements. Each story is told with humor and tenderness as the characters make their way through the rhythms of everyday life.

Read excerpt as paperback PDF or Kindle eBook.

SRP: $14.95

Page Count: 172

Publication Date: 15 November 2015

ISBN-10: 1937484386

ISBN-13: 978-1937484385

About the Author

Bob Boone started teaching in 1964. He has taught in Staten Island, Germany, Highland Park, and Chicago. In 1991, he founded Young Chicago Authors to provide opportunities for young writers from the city.

He has written several textbooks, a teaching memoir, and a sports biography. Along with coauthoring Write Through Chicago, he and Mark Henry Larson have written two other creative writing books, Moe’s Cafe and Joan’s Junk Shop. Forest High is his first work of fiction, and Back to Forest High is his second.

Reviews

Honorable Mention, Anthology, 2016 Readers’ Favorite Book Awards

“All the stories are somehow related to school, whether it takes place in a school, is about a teacher, or about school days long ago. Each story is unique and entertaining.… It is nice to see things from a teacher’s perspective once in a while.” —Jessyca Garcia, Readers’ Favorite

“The stories are wonderful and beautifully written, with insights into the interior of a parallel, minimalist universe of the everyday. What makes these stories ultimately so arresting is how they capture the quiet, unspoken fears, the normalcy of unfinished relationships, and the inner strength it takes to face each day. The quietness of the stories belies their energy and the resilience of the characters which becomes a moving celebration of the human spirit.” —Milos Stehlik, Critic for Worldview on WBEZ/Chicago Public Radio

“Implicit in these tales are basic human questions: what does it mean to be a good teacher or a good person? What, for that matter, is meant by the phrase ‘good school’? In this age of standardized tests and the relentless attempt at quantifying students and teachers alike, Bob’s stories offer a refreshingly human portrayal of his characters. He never fails to see the comedy in the conflict between the conventional and unconventional, and he portrays his characters with nothing less than a sympathetic eye. In these stories, Bob always looks beyond the Forest to the individual trees.” —John O’Connor, Author, Wordplaygrounds; Teacher at New Trier High School

“Bob Boone gives us an insider’s view into the world of Forest High. These stories are spare, terse and capture the quirkiness of characters and circumstance utterly consistent with the world of schools—a world where, as Boone well knows, every story implies another. An astute observer, Bob Boone writes with humor, compassion and insight.” —Larry Starzec, Fiction Editor, Willow Review; Professor of English at College of Lake County

Back to Forest High

Stories

About the Author

Reviews

Main Menu