Description
Celebrities aren’t the only people who live lives interesting enough for a reality show! This shocking tale of a young girl seduced by a married man twice her age is a true story. It happened more than 40 years ago and although the times have changed, that doesn’t mean the story won’t re-ignite the salacious gossip that gripped a small town on Maryland’s Eastern Shore in the 1970s. Here’s the buzz on Small Town Scandal: “An outrageous journey to emotional maturity” “The secret’s out: a 21-year trip down memory lane” “A glimpse into the private life of a typical Baby Boomer”
Donna Foley, Freelance Book Editor –
As the saying goes, truth is stranger than fiction, and “Small Town Scandal: A Real Life Love Lesson” certainly proves that point. Intriguing, racy, juicy, and filled to the brim with people behaving badly, this book is a voyeur’s dream. The author, Resia Nank, takes us through the period in her life defined by the man with whom she started an affair at the age of 14 (at which time he was 32 years old, married, and a father). Well-written, and filled with colorful characters (all of whom are real people), “Small Town Scandal” invites the reader on Nank’s rowdy journey filled with sex, drugs, more sex, and her extraordinary determination to get what she wants out of life. The question remains: why did the author make the choices she made? Only she knows, but she takes us along for a heckuva ride as she reveals, with great candor, the truth and consequences of those choices, and leaves us wanting more. A quick, thoroughly entertaining, and often eye-popping read.
Cathy C., Richmond, VA –
Love the book. Loved the nostalgic peek into the 70’s and the memories it brought back about my own teen years. However, the mother in me hesitated to find anything good about the situation this teen found herself in. Reading about her choices, ups, downs and life’s dreams will keep you turning the pages to see how it ends.
Stephanie L., Baltimore, MD –
Enjoyable, fast-paced, a page-turner! Didn’t want to put it down. A great story of a girl who did what she needed to do.
Amy Emge –
Was it an older man who cast a spell on a daring young girl with dreams of greatness? Or a seductive young vixen whose dreams of stardom led her places she wasn’t ready to go? Either way it’s impossible to put this book down as the author tries to find her way through life and love. A quick, entertaining read.
Amy E.
Jack Magnus for Readers’ Favorite –
Small Town Scandal: A Real Life Love Lesson is a non-fiction memoir written by Resia Nank. It was 1973, and Nank was a typical fourteen-year-old: filled with the excitement of crushing on teenage heartthrobs, thrilled with having her own slimline phone, and having a grand time riding her dirt bike on the trails near her home. Then, something momentous happened one day in late spring, when she noticed a moving van parked next door to her house and saw the hippie van parked in front of it. Her eyes bugged out at that painted van, but then she saw him. He was in his thirties, with long wavy hair and strong good looks, and she watched spellbound as he unloaded a large motorcycle from the truck. He introduced himself as Cookie, a friend of her stepfather, Robert. Nank was entranced by him, and the fact that he spoke to her as if they were on the same level made it even better. Soon the other girls in the neighborhood found out about the new guy in town, and they became non-stop visitors, earning some glares from Leona, his wife. But Cookie was Nank’s special friend, and he would become her first love and lifelong friend.
Resia Nank’s non-fiction memoir, Small Town Scandal: A Real Life Love Lesson, is a delight to read. Nank beautifully sets up her memory of life in the 1970s and the impact that the new neighbor had on her life. Her coming-of-age is filled with rushed assignations in the hippy van, stolen moments, and real affection as the two lovers get caught up in something larger than either of them. As I read this charming and sweet memoir, I realized that there might be some portions of the audience who would be offended by the idea of a fourteen-year-old having a relationship with a man eighteen years her senior. Considering the fact, however, that until recently girls of her age were considered mature enough to get married in many parts of this country, the age difference or her status as a minor did not seem to detract from the validity of her relationship or her memories as such. Nank’s story makes the point loudly and clearly that there was a strong and compelling romance shared by them. The ring episode is especially poignant and powerful, giving this modern-day Romeo and Juliet tale authenticity and depth. Small Town Scandal: A Real Life Love Lesson is most highly recommended.