Sagittarius — Tom
Freedom lovers, optimistic, fair-minded and constantly curious, Sagittarians are good conversationalists who enjoy humor, independence, travel and outdoor activities. Also known to lack tact, they tend to get bored easily and can hurt others without even knowing it. Inspiring to the people around them they’re also know to exaggerate the known truth to make their point.
Tom Bross looks familiar, doesn’t he? Could it be that you recognize the 1968 San Francisco Hula Hoop Champion? Or, do you remember him as ‘the mustard stain kid’ from a Clorox bleach ad he appeared in back in 1969? Either way, Tom peaked at an early age and it’s been downhill ever since.
After his mother’s second divorce, things went from strict to strange as his mother fully embraced her inner hippie. Not only did she change her name to Mare, (it wasn’t short for Marilyn, it had something to do with her astrological sign and her need to live near the sea), she purchased Birkenstocks from the Whole Earth Catalog, quit shaving, and no longer owned any clothes Tom deemed appropriate for parent/teacher conferences. For the next several years Tom excelled in school because it was the exact opposite of what his mother wanted. He worked his way through college and earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Graphic Design from California State University-Chico in 1986.
“I was an extremely sensitive kid who always felt the force of emotions growing up. I realized how different my family was at an early age and literally started taking notes, which eventually led to this book series.”
“This book is incredibly engaging on many different levels. It’s heartbreaking to witness what the author endures growing up with a conventional mother-turned-hippie who decides she no longer wants to be a mother to him and his four siblings. The neglect is abusive and shocking and all the more amazing insofar is that it really happened. The story is non-fiction but almost doesn’t feel like it because it’s hard to believe many of the events actually occurred. That’s part of what makes it a great read. The book is also literally laugh-out-loud funny the way the more straight-laced son (and author) observes the absurd sequence of events and the outlandish people his mother drags into the family’s lives. Lastly, the book does an incredible job portraying the late 60’s-1970’s culture that makes you relive these tumultuous times and remind you where you were when these things were happening. This is a must-read.”
“Rollicking, funny, dramatic, compassionate, superbly written … Bross describes his life growing up in a vagabond family led by an eccentric hippie mother in the Age of Aquarius … engaging, compelling!”
“It is a story with many stories, tragic and beautiful, inside of it. Tom Bross has created a page-turner by artfully and lovingly weaving the stories of his life, his family’s life, together. In doing so, he draws the reader in with every brilliant, vulnerable word. You will find yourself invested in each of the stories and in each of his family members who love each other in both a fierce and flawed manner.”
“This is the best Memoir I’ve read to date. I didn’t think anything could top 𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝑮𝒍𝒂𝒔𝒔 𝑪𝒂𝒔𝒕𝒍𝒆 and I’m no way discrediting Walls Memoir, but Bross brought to the table an extraordinary account of his childhood.
A Memoir so well told that I was pulled into their family and its jumbled dynamics at an emotional force so compelling I was unable to escape, nor did I want to.”
“When I came to the last page of this series I sat in stunned silence and did something I rarely do, I cried.
Mr. Bross is an exceptional writer, he is so full of buoyancy and good humor that it bounces off the page and I, the lucky reader, was happy to bounce along with it. He is just as adept at sharing pain, the pain of abandonment and loss, and the development of skills needed by a child who grows up in a world where your parents cannot be depended upon to keep you safe and secure.
One of the hardest parts of his story for me was his mother, time after time I found myself aghast at her behavior, hoping she would choose any other action than the one she ended up choosing. This three-book set of memoirs will be recommended by me to all my friends, they get a shiny gold star in my book.
Oh, I need to mention you won’t be able to put this book, or the other two, down once you start!”
“This is the first modern autobiography I’ve read all the way through. Most are either whiny or too self aggrandizing, even those who have lived interesting lives.
Tom Bross somehow manages to find the sweet spot in between victim and star in a tale that had me laughing at inopportune times, crying, and often made me want to holler ‘No, don’t do that!’
I’m really disappointed having finished the books because I’m going to miss the family.”
“Tom Bross walks the tightrope of humor and heartbreak in this moving memoir. Colorful stories from his younger days describe the wild ride and tragic consequences of growing up with few boundaries. Yet, despite his chaotic family life, there is no doubt that his love remains strong for his four siblings and his free-spirited mother. The reader will certainly cheer him on as he struggles to improve his sense of belonging in the world, both as a child and an adult.”