Camp Pock-A-Wocknee and the Dynomite Summer of '77 - by Eric Glickman (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

NAMED ONE OF KIRKUS' BEST BOOKS OF 2023!

Camp Pock-a-Wocknee & the DYN-O-MITE Summer of '77 is a coming-of-age graphic novel celebrating the traditions, friendships, and idiocy that make up summers at Jewish sleepaway camp.

Combining the nostalgic mood of The Wonder Years, the raucousness of Superbad, and the adolescent angst of Pen15, this 300-page graphic novel juxtaposes classic, black and white, comic strip art with stories that capture the tension created when the innocence of childhood crashes into the messiness of adolescence.

Review Quotes

"laugh-out-loud wacky" - San Diego Jewish World

"A fun, funny read" - Graphic Policy

"I'm not certain how it's possible to pick up so strongly on someone else's personal nostalgia but "Glick" embeds it so deeply in this book, that by its end, I wanted to be not just at a summer camp, but there, with him and his friends, at Camp Pock-a-Wocknee, in the summer of 1977. Dyn-O-Mite, indeed!" - Force of Geek

A teen at a Jewish sleepaway camp relishes a summer of adventure and raging hormones in Glickman's debut graphic novel. It's June 1977, and 15-year-old Eric Glickman is finally an "oldest senior" at Camp Pock-a-Wocknee. This status affords him and his friends in Bunk 19 certain privileges, including a slightly later curfew. Most of the boys have their eyes on the girl campers, and it's not long before Eric notices a curly-haired girl named Amy. The freedom at camp allows Eric to enjoy idyllic outings and indulge in antics with his pals, but he makes time for smart and funny Amy, who he hopes likes him, too. Getting her alone, however, may not be possible, not with the so-called Man in the Poncho hanging around camp. As Eric is the only one to repeatedly see this legendary figure, he has to wonder: Is he simply paranoid or in actual peril? Author and illustrator Glickman's charming, nostalgic slice of adolescence includes such welcome touches as sprightly footnotes for the copious pop-culture references and specific details of the various meals and snacks the youngsters devour. There's also unabashed toilet humor (sometimes literal), along with sex jokes, casual profanity, and occasional (male) nudity. Eric makes for a winsome protagonist who feels more like himself at camp than he does at school, where there aren't many other Jewish kids like him. And while scoring is a priority for some, Eric clearly wants to get to know Amy and isn't overly concerned with what base, if any, he's on. Glickman's bold black-and-white artwork comically exaggerates features and shines brightest when animating what's in Eric's head, as when the boys, hopped up on sugary cereals, ride metaphorical "sugar beasts," and a post-kiss Eric transforms into a caped superhero. Adolescent romance and mischief animate an endearing, gleefully raunchy coming-of-age tale. - Kirkus Reviews

FORWARD -- Going to Jewish sleep-away camp has long been a rite of passage, but few artists this side of Allan Sherman have paid it much mind. While Wet Hot American Summer did a fine job reveling in the unsupervised eight weeks so many of us savored, we never did see those campers saying hamotzi. Nor did the film or Netflix series care to give a name to the phenomenon graphic novelist Eric Glickman calls the "Jewlusion" of camp, which makes young Jews appear to be prodigiously gifted in ways athletic and romantic while away from their gentile peers. Glickman's first graphic novel, Camp Pock-A-Wocknee and the Dyn-O-Mite Summer of '77, inspired by his bug juice-splattered youth, will hit a rich vein of nostalgia for many who miss the halcyon days of color wars and canteen. And, if the trend of adult Jewish summer camps is any indication, there's a lot of people looking to relive that experience. (Maybe it's no accident Glickman has a background in advertising.) While the book follows 15-year-old protagonist Glick, a helpful warning on the cover alerts the buyer this is "NOT a book for kids." And that's not just because the many, helpfully annotated, '70s references will resonate best with readers of a certain age.