No Lifeguard on Duty
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Product Details
Publisher: Bumper Car Books
Release Date: July 25, 2023
Formats: Paperback, Ebook
ISBN: PB: 979-8-9881134-0-9; EB: 979-8-9881134-1-6
Trim: 5.5 x 8.5
Page Count: 492
A Novel
Paul C. Bomba
National Indie Excellence Awards 2024 Best New Fiction Winner
IBPA Book Award 2024 Winner for Best First Book in Fiction
IPPY Awards 2024 Silver Medalist in Regional Fiction
IPPY Awards 2024 Bronze Medalist for Best First Book
Next Gen Indie Book Awards 2024 Finalist for Best General Fiction
In the summer of 1970, racial unrest in Asbury Park sends three teenage friends into turmoil.
It’s July of 1970. The decaying beach town of Asbury Park, New Jersey erupts with racial unrest that propels three unlikely teenage friends into turmoil. Adam, Mollie, and Howard struggle with family conflicts and their racial, cultural and class identities in the midst of the chaos. Town and teens will never be the same.
When the smoke clears, secrets that brought the trio to this fateful time and place are revealed and continue to intertwine their lives in the years to come. The boardwalk and beaches become the setting for personal revelations, encounters with the dark side of human nature, and brushes with the supernatural.
No Lifeguard on Duty will stir a range of emotions and its nuanced treatment of race and class is as relevant today as it was in 1970.
About the Author
Paul C. Bomba embarks on a third career with his debut novel, No Lifeguard on Duty. The idea for the story traveled with him from his youth in Asbury Park through his first act as a psychology professor, and then through thirty years in business. His academic research of behavior and the senses helped him create the book’s compelling characters, intricate plot lines, and vivid descriptions. He resided in Asbury during the No Lifeguard era and brings personal insights to the storytelling.
Reviews
“[No Lifeguard on Duty] is a daring mix of beach read, historical novel, and ripped-from-the-headlines topical reflection on American life.” —Bruce Feiler, author of seven New York Times bestsellers
“Bomba delivers a perfect beach read . . . powerful emotions straight from a Bruce Springsteen song.” —Lancaster Newspapers
“An engrossing read! . . . Paul Bomba has a talent for detail that paints an indelible picture of life in the 1970s in the town made famous by Bruce Springsteen. The family saga and secrets kept me turning pages. [A] very riveting debut novel.” —Linda Perlman Fields, Peabody Award–winning journalist
“I found myself holding my breath anytime one of these teens [went] in the ocean or miss[ed] curfew.” —Lorraine Pearlman, local author liaison, Asbury Book Cooperative