Bicentennial Summer: A Coming-of-Age Journey Across America
$9.99
It’s the summer of 1976—the Bicentennial of America—and 13-year-old Mary is about to embark on the road trip of a lifetime. With her father at the wheel, her twin younger sisters in the back seat, and their baby-blue Peugeot sedan—affectionately named Blue Pierre—as their ride, Mary sets off on a cross-country adventure filled with fireworks, flag ceremonies, and hard-earned truths.
What begins as a patriotic escape from small-town Ohio quickly becomes a test of loyalty, courage, and growing up. As her father’s behavior turns more erratic, Mary must navigate not just unfamiliar highways but the shifting landscape of her own beliefs. When the journey takes a turn they never expected, Mary discovers that sometimes the people you love the most are the hardest to understand.
Told with heart, humor, and a vivid sense of 70s nostalgia, Bicentennial Summer is a coming-of-age story about family, freedom, and finding your own way when the map runs out. Perfect for fans of The Glass Castle and The Bean Trees, this unforgettable debut explores the bittersweet moment when childhood ends—and independence begins.
Whether you remember the Bicentennial or are just discovering it, Mary’s voice will linger with you long after the last mile is driven.
$9.99
Keywords 1970s Americana, 1976 Bicentennial, Band kid, Blue sedan, California, Coming-of-age, Cross-country road trip, Escaping dysfunction, family drama, Family dynamics, Father-daughter story, Flawed father figure, Growing up, Historical Fiction, Hitchhiking, Literary fiction, Middle child perspective, Midwest, Mount Rushmore, music, Nostalgia, Patriotism, Reckoning with a parent’s flaws, Road trip novel, San Francisco, Self-discovery, sibling relationships, Small-town America, Strong female lead, Teen protagonist, Twins, Women’s fiction, Yellowstone, Young Adult
About the Author
Mary Berelson is a retired California teacher turned author living in Tennessee. Inspired by a real 1976 road trip, Bicentennial Summer is her debut novel. She enjoys music, nature, and being a grandma.
“It was 1976, the year of the USA’s bicentennial anniversary. Americans were extra patriotic. Dad, especially. So that meant I was, too,” explains Mary, a mid-western 13 yr old middle child, in the first chapter of Mary Berelson’s debut novel of friendship and childhood adventure, Bicentennial Summer. Reading the novel makes me feel again the awkwardness of teenage friendships and the innocence and hope I felt in that America. As a teacher I’ve already recommended this heartwarming book as the perfect summer read to several parents and their teens.
By her own account, the main character Mary has no special attributes, and so she does all she can to stay in the apple of her father’s eye, blasting Reveille on her trumpet for him each morning as he raises the Red, White, and Blue. But this position becomes untenable as her father, to spite her mother, makes a series of choices for the family that escalate in risk-taking behavior for the young sisters. He chooses this summer to take her and her two younger sisters, 10 yr old twins, on the “Great American Road Trip” using the TripTik the siblings had dreamed up for just this possibility. As they cross the richly detailed country, camping out and meeting new friends and finally running out of funds, the increasingly unethical and untrustworthy behaviors of her father force Mary to step into a grown-up role and reflect on what she has been told about the values of loyalty and integrity held by her family.
– Karen Terrey, Poet Laureate of Nevada County, CA
Description
It’s the summer of 1976—the Bicentennial of America—and 13-year-old Mary is about to embark on the road trip of a lifetime. With her father at the wheel, her twin younger sisters in the back seat, and their baby-blue Peugeot sedan—affectionately named Blue Pierre—as their ride, Mary sets off on a cross-country adventure filled with fireworks, flag ceremonies, and hard-earned truths.
What begins as a patriotic escape from small-town Ohio quickly becomes a test of loyalty, courage, and growing up. As her father’s behavior turns more erratic, Mary must navigate not just unfamiliar highways but the shifting landscape of her own beliefs. When the journey takes a turn they never expected, Mary discovers that sometimes the people you love the most are the hardest to understand.
Told with heart, humor, and a vivid sense of 70s nostalgia, Bicentennial Summer is a coming-of-age story about family, freedom, and finding your own way when the map runs out. Perfect for fans of The Glass Castle and The Bean Trees, this unforgettable debut explores the bittersweet moment when childhood ends—and independence begins.
Whether you remember the Bicentennial or are just discovering it, Mary’s voice will linger with you long after the last mile is driven.
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$9.99
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