Fathers and sons -- Fiction ; Mormons -- Fiction ; Portland (Or.) -- Fiction
It's 1956, and boys playing baseball on an oily asphalt street is a standing ritual in a middle-class American neighborhood. Remembering that time from the vantage point of a grown man, Neal Rogers also fondly recalls the influence exerted on him by the Church and by the members of his ward during those formative years. The distinctive old rock meetinghouse with its gabled slate roof, stained glass windows, and parquet-floored recreational hall had a personality of its own, and the many heartwarming, humorous, and life-changing activities that took place there helped shape Neal's perception of the world. But the overriding influence in those years was Neal's modest father, Harold Rogers, whose selfless sacrifices in behalf of his family, church, and country only later became fully evident to Neal. [from publisher's web site]