Now Is the Hour - by Tom Spanbauer (Paperback)

About the Book

A powerful, entertaining story of self-awakening, the complex bonds of family, and of America during the late 1960s, this novel follows the journeys of 17-year-old Rigby John Klusener who leaves his home and family in Idaho and heads for a new life in San Francisco.

Book Synopsis

Rigby John Klusener is hitchhiking to San Francisco. The year is 1967, the town is Pocatello, Idaho. Fresh out of high school, Rigby John is leaving behind his bohemian ex-girlfriend, his prayerful mother, his distant father, and the hay dust of his harsh farm town Catholic upbringing. As he stands by the side of the road desperately waiting for that one ride out, he reflects on the events that brought him there: the discovery of love, friendship, literature, and all the small joys that set him free. At once a tale of sexual awakening, racial enlightenment, and personal epiphany, Now Is the Hour is the disarming and sweetly winning story of one unforgettable teenager who dares to hope for a different life.

Review Quotes

A risky assay into the traditional bildungsroman, with this straightforward, but luminous tale.

Publishers Weekly, Starred

Spanbauer writes this fairly traditional coming-of-age story with a raw energy that makes it compelling.

Kirkus Reviews

Sophisticated, funny, poignant, sexy coming-of-age novel...

Booklist, ALA, Starred Review

Full of hope, sadness and humor, this is an extended ballad in the voice of an appealing narrator People Magazine

Vividly reflecting...Grade: B+ Entertainment Weekly

Spanbauer is a generous writer..."Now Is the Hour" is an engaging novel.

The Seattle Times

"Now Is the Hour" is at once beautiful and hilarious.

The Oregonian