The Life and Times of the Last Kid Picked

David Benjamin pays homage to the exuberance of countless untamed boys who grew up in Middle America at mid-century. Whether hes stalking snakes in the bogs of Wisconsin. playing four-kid baseball with his bothersome little brother and two favourite cousins, leaping garbage cans for a beautiful little redheaded girl, or joining Chucky Dutcher for a movie marathon at the Erwin Theater, Benjamin is the kind of precocious ironist who would have found a sidekick in Huck Finn. His tales and insights lyrically capture a precious moment in bygone American life, as Benjamin recalls the myriad scrapes, reckless escapades and wanderlust that once made childhood an exhilarating -- or terrifying -- adventure.