Tu-tone DeSoto

The Tu-Tone DeSotoBy D.H. RobbinsThe Tu-tone DeSoto centers on the lives of eight Hanson, Iowa high school teens during the Kennedy administration and Cold War years of the early 1960s. They are living in conflict with the mind-sets of their parents through a generation gap destined to become an incendiary turning point in a few years. The teens' internal concerns take precedence over more worldly events as they naively mature into adulthood.Julie Maxwell elopes with her boyfriend, Beau Harper, who joins the navy. Connie Mueller is the best friend of Penny, Julie's younger sister. They find their maturity at the expense of their relationship, placing Connie at odds with her dysfunctional parents. Daniel is the son of Roger Lilienthal, a renowned sociologist from Chicago, and has grown up before his time at the cost of his youth. Miscreant John Bass has lived a wasted life. Michael Hendricks, looking for identity through the torment of dyslexia and poor grades, faces a bleak future. Regina, Preacher Barragan's daughter, creates the formula for her imminent destruction.The novel culminates not only in murder and a suicide but also in the perplexity of coming to terms with being gay during a time cultural change-a time in which a generation of baby boomers is being defined and is coming of age.