Sixteen-year-old Paul Sutton lives in a small Minnesota town. It’s 1965, and while the nation creeps toward further turmoil over the war in Vietnam, nothing ever changes for Paul, whose life is sheltered by family and religion. Then his mother urges him to find a job in town. Paul ends up pumping gas at the local station, and suddenly he’s in the midst of a host of dramas both small and large that leave him changed in ways he could never have imagined. He witnesses blatant infidelity and passionate attraction; unabashed bigotry and unfailing kindness. He falls in love. Already at odds in ways he can’t fully articulate with the rigid ideals of his own religious upbringing, Paul finds himself more and more uncertain of his willingness to commit to his faith. His father and church leaders frown, but Will knows that even without having the answers, being able to ask questions is essential. Will Weaver’s dramatically understated story about a teenage boy’s coming of age features characters that are superbly drawn, from Paul’s fair but sometimes unyielding father to his quiet but determined mother who knows the world is changing, and wants Paul to be able to think for himself and make his own way. (Ages 12–16)