I’ve known Brad, at a distance, for a few years. He’s a fun, albeit quirky guy, the good kind of quirky, with a sparkle in his eye, capturing the oddities of life. I’ve had his book, Welcome to Fred, for awhile and finally settled down to read it.

It’s a first person account of Mark, a PK (preacher’s kid) and his adolescent journey. After living in Ohio for four years, his father takes a church in Fred, Texas. Mark is definitely out of step with his long hair, bell bottoms and beads in this farming, cowboy, jeans-wearing town.

While feeling like a misfit throughout most of the book, Mark adapts, makes friends and discovers life. Whittington has a great voice. A true first person storyteller with lovely writing and the right amount of humor.

If you want to write first person, read Whittington. Coming of age stories are always best from the protags “I’s.”

Whittington also uses metaphors and similies with skill, doling them out in a timely way so the reader doesn’t feel overwhelmed.

Quirky secondary characters such as his father, and sisters, as well as his friends and a homeless woman in a box make this a great read.

Some unique tie-ups to some of the story threads reminds us that Whittington is writing fiction, not an autobio. Although, you know what they say, truth is stranger than fiction.

Whittington won the Christy for “Fred” and it is well deserved.

If you want to “read up,” Book Therapy Picks Brad Whittington.