The Burr in the Burbs

As a kid, I had friends who were really into a fantasy role-playing game called Dungeons and Dragons. I like Tolkien but was never into D & D. If you were a gamer or knew gamers, you need to check out a terrific book called The Elfish Gene: Dungeons, Dragons and Growing Up Strange.  Author Mark Barrowcliffe tells a lively story of being a misfit kid obsessed with fantasy games.  Lots of young teen and tween boys in the 70s and 80s who were socially awkward and had vivid imaginations found refuge in these games. There was lots of controversy in some corners because folks felt that D & D introduced kids to the occult.  What I thought was fantastic about this book is how well the author portrays the confusion and general awkwardness of being an adolescent boy.