I Grew Up in Broad Ripple

A hilarious and heartfelt journey through Catholic childhood in the 1950s and 1960s. Russell Beck wasn’t supposed to steal candy bars from the corner store or sneak peeks at his friend’s mom in the shower. He wasn’t supposed to split his pants three times in sixth grade or accidentally pierce a fellow Scout with a dart. But growing up Catholic in mid-century Broad Ripple meant navigating a world where the rules were strict, the nuns carried wooden pointers, and childhood was something you survived as much as enjoyed. I Grew Up in Broad Ripple is more than nostalgia-it’s a vivid portrait of growing up in a time when the world was still being explained to you, sometimes by nuns with rulers and sometimes by your equally confused classmates. Beck’s stories will make you laugh out loud, wince a little, and maybe remember something you’d long forgotten about your own coming-of-age. Perfect for readers who enjoyed Jean Shepard, John R. Powers, Bill Bryson, or anyone who survived Catholic school and lived to tell about it.