By Dennis Domrzalski
Would you try to build a submarine out of plywood? One of the wonders of youth is that kids don't recognize limitations. To kids, nothing--no matter how crazy, illogical or impractical--seems impossible. Every nutty idea is attainable. That's why you'll want to read my new book, Disturbers Row, to see how my seventh-grade pals and I were going to build a submarine out of plywood, sail the world's oceans in it and tail and sink Russian warships in the Black Sea.
Yes, we were going to build a four-man, fifteen-foot-long submarine out of plywood! And when we weren't blowing Russian ships out of the water, we were going to feast on coconuts and mangos while luxuriating on uninhabited South Pacific islands.
Here's the drawing from the book:
And remember, Disturbers Row is available as a paperback and eBook on Amazon and other online retailers. The book has more than 90 hilarious illustrations by artist Dan Florentino.
Here's the blurb from the back cover:
Chicago, mid-1960s. Five seventh-graders, the Disturbers of Room 204 at Our Lady of Grace Catholic School, are a menace to the nuns and to society. The Disturbers refuse to conform, they challenge the nuns’ abusive authority and question idiotic rules at every turn. Of course they are routinely beaten silly by the nuns for their attitude of defiance.
Outside of school, the guys and their pals roam their blue-collar neighborhood at will, having fun and getting into trouble. Disturbers Row is a trip back to a time that no longer exists, a time when it was perfectly acceptable for nuns to beat up children, a time when kids were free to be kids and when they used their imaginations to dream, have fun, break rules and learn and grow. No adults needed, wanted, or even interested.
Join the Disturbers as they drive Sister Mary Zita and the other nuns insane. Join them as they play guns and war, hockey, baseball; as they fight, shoplift, smoke, and have fun while crisscrossing their neighborhood and city. You'll have a blast.
Dennis Domrzalski is an expert at helping everyone he meets come to grips with their own glaring shortcomings. Born and raised in Chicago, he lives in Albuquerque, New Mexico. He has been a reporter and writer since the mid 1970s, including stints at City News Bureau of Chicago, The Albuquerque Tribune, and the Weekly Alibi.