A powerful, bittersweet coming-of-age saga spanning from the golden glow of 1950s Americana to the fractured conscience of the Vietnam era—told through the eyes of one boy chasing music, memory, and meaning.

In 1958 Wilson, Iowa, ten-year-old Leo believes the world is no bigger than eight dusty blocks and the magic of a jukebox playing Chuck Berry. But when tragedy strikes—first on a snowy cornfield in Clear Lake, then closer to home—his innocent world begins to crack. With only a paper route, a Sears catalog guitar, and a dream to hold onto, Leo sets out to become someone who makes people feel joy through music.

As the years unfold, Leo navigates the shifting tides of adolescence and America itself. From street corners and soda fountains to the aching silence of grief and the roar of antiwar protests, The Levee Was Dry traces one boy’s journey through love, heartbreak, and the death of heroes—personal and national.

Through rock and roll, friendship, loss, and the slow erosion of childhood, Leo comes of age in a country that is no longer the one he grew up in.

Evocative and deeply emotional, The Levee Was Dry is a nostalgic yet unflinching portrait of mid-century America—perfect for fans of The Tender Bar, A Separate Peace, and The Things They Carried.