Publisher's Synopsis
A Tale of Two Erics
Once in a great while, a book of short stories comes along that is so profound and honestly funny it can engage its reader to the point of immediately reading it cover to over ... several times. Then, after reminiscing about the many parallels to one's own life and upbringing, all the reader wants to do is share such a book with their close friends and family. A Tale of Two Erics is this type of literary gem!
Written by Eric Sharpe, a standup comedian from Wichita, Kansas, the autobiographical, A Tale of Two Erics, chronicles the exploits of a young Sharpe and his lifelong friend, Eric, who lived next door. Thirty short chronicles to be exact, depicting everything from firing bottle rockets into traffic to mastering the art of the prank phone call, along with plenty of other highly irreverent shenanigans in between.
A Tale of Two Erics is a comical, non-fiction blast from the past about two young boys sharing an adolescent suburban journey through the 70's and 80's, filled with things you hope and pray your own kids will never think about, let alone actually do... the type of guys who tormented their sisters when they were seven and spent their summers drinking beer and shoplifting when they were 17. These guys were the young rebels down the block... the ones who were always grounded.
In a time when fantasy novels, political analysis and self-help manuals fill America's bookshelves, A Tale of Two Erics is a welcome dose of pure entertainment, full of wit, wisdom and undeniable charm. Author Eric Sharpe has an exquisite way of using brand names of products and the titles of popular songs to successfully engage and throw the reader back to the point in time of the actual story, thus creating very effective imagery in the process. Middle America is brought to life and jumps off the page with chapter titles such as: "Brackie," "The Legend of Copperthroat," and "Hey Mister, Your Monkey's on Fire." This book is a collection of memories and times gone by, celebrating a lifelong friendship and a tribute to friendship itself.
With its special narrative that speaks to everyone, A Tale of Two Erics will undoubtedly make its way to the corporate water cooler then later to the gym and finally to the bathroom where it will stay in that little wicker rack beside the toilet for many future laughs.
From The Author
A Tale of Two Erics is my recollection of personal stories from my childhood and adolescent years during the 70's and 80's. All of the short stories in my book actually took place between me and my best friend, who lived next door and whose name also happened to be Eric. All of these true stories took place when Eric and I were between the ages of 6 and 19 and have been described as a hysterical "walk down memory lane" all of the guys ages 20-45 that I invited to preview my book. One reader specifically stated it was like a PG13 Wonder Years...a real bittersweet, comical look back on his own life. Other readers, including several women, have used such terms as "totally hilarious" and "shockingly funny," saying they were somewhat ashamed to be laughing, but that they could never put it down and found themselves telling and re-telling many of the stories to their close friends. My goal from the beginning was to entice people to relive their childhoods while reading the text. If I succeed with just one reader, I have accomplished my goal.
