Thumb Flagging by Jerome Peterson-A Book Review
Thumb Flagging by author Jerome Peterson is a coming of age story that will charm you from the opening pages. Two twenty-something, self-professed bohemian-bums take to the open road to find themselves in a criss-cross America journey.
We meet Jay Patterson. Jay was raised Catholic, is the youngest child of six, and the only son. His mother and five sisters pamper him like a baby. Jay knows this is his biggest problem-even calls himself an S.C. B. or Spoiled Catholic Brat. He battles this childish shadow; however, he is more likely to break down in tears than he is to deal with his setbacks like a grown man. Willy Jacobs is a seasoned hitchhiker. He believes he has a cure for Jay’s issues-a date with the Concrete Diva. When Willy learns that Jay has a sister in Colorado, it is decided. “We’re going!”
The trip to Durango, Colorado is Part One of the three part Thumb Flagging. Jay is unwilling, nervous, and afraid to even put up his thumb to stop a ride. The pair takes on a master/apprentice-type relationship. Willy imparts his roadside therapy of knowledge and experience in goofy sayings of philosophy to prop up Jay when his spirit wanes. “We will put on a hat of happiness, place a morning star in our eyes, and cornflake the rest,” Jacobs says. He puts up his thumb and wiggles it in a way that looks like a flag in the wind and Jay calls it “Thumb Flagging.” With each ride, they meet another in an eclectic assortment of characters. The lonely, the depressed, the drunk, the chatty, the religious, and an insane traveler armed with a huge hunting knife all add to this wondrous first journey of personal discovery for Jay. Willy teaches his student to welcome the good rides with the hassles as the way of road. The drop-in