The Best Story I Could Write: A Great Commuter Read

If you went to a Catholic High School and you have train or bus commute, I have a great book for you: The Brown and White. 

The Brown and White is a fictionalized memoir that tells the story of Collin Callaghan's freshman year at a Chicago Catholic High School.  Collin is a white boy who is living in turbulent times in a changing city. He clings to his neighborhood and his family as he heads out each day with his classmates on the Brown and White, the ancient school bus driven by free-spirited Willie.  

Memorable characters abound as the right of passage unfolds. The story is also about Collin's lovable family, especially his Irish Catholic policeman father and his Irish immigrant mother (from Scotland--you'll have to read the book) who blazes her own trail through the 60s.

What else can I say, it's the best story I could write!

Available on Amazon. 

The Brown and White: A Book that Can Stir a Smile

Holiday shoppers take some worry off you mind and order a couple dozen copies of The Brown and White for everyone on you list! Send your request directly to me (lmj.norris@gmail.com) and I'll sign them and ship them myself along with an invoice. 

Forty plus years in the making, The Brown and White is a fictionalized memoir that tells the story of Collin Callaghan's freshman year at a Chicago Catholic High School. And the book begins about this time of year as Collin is heading off to school. 

Lawrence Norris, The Brown and White

Collin living in turbulent times in a changing city. He clings to his neighborhood and his family as he heads out each day with his classmates on the Brown and White, the ancient school bus driven by free-spirited Willie. Memorable characters abound as this story unfolds. Collin's lovable family, especially his Irish Catholic policeman father and his immigrant mother face life together. Collin and classmates blaze their own humorous and passionate trail through the late 1960s. A unique cast of terrific teachers are there to see the boys through. Laughs and life meet readers head on as they travel on the Brown and White.

Whether it brings back memories of their own high school days that stirs a smile or they just find some of the situations funny, I think readers will like The Brown and White. 

Meaning of Beaver Hunting

A lot of nicknames or slang came out of WWII. Our bus driver on the Brown and White School bus that we rode in Chicago used the word "beaver" to announce there was a girl driving towards us in a car and she might be someone we might want to check out from our windows high above the street. Those were the early days of mini skirts so we made a game of it. We called it "beaver hunting" and in addition to our bus driver, guys from either side of the bus might call "shots" to let the others know and participate. If the girl was pretty and the view was good, the boys would react one way; if the view was not good, the boys would deride the caller. 

It's one of many experiences that I wrote about in my fictionalized memoir called The Brown and White. 

Shortly after the book came out, I was asked to come to a bar and answer questions about The Brown and White for an alum group that meets every couple months. I was asked about why I called the chapter "Beaver on the Right." I told the men that in my years at school that's simply what it was called, we never gave it any thought. My classmates would only accept the term--I really never thought about calling the chapter "pretty legs on the right" or some clumsy title--I preferred a more direct title and wanted to "keep it real."

Like a lot of slang terms there is several meanings to the term "beaver" and you can dig down low. This term was used by our bus driver, a World War II vet. The vets used the term "eager beaver" to describe someone who was gung-ho about something. I think they also used the term at times for a girl and probably in some cases, something more anatomical. But for us, it just meant that there was a girl driving up and we would check her out. 

You do your best when you write a book about experiences. Sometimes you get it right, sometimes you get it wrong.  If you write on young people, you might use a lot of profanity in the dialogue. I didn't do that in The Brown and White because profanity can get real tedious to read. Kids today often use the word "like" in every sentence, but for readers it just gets too tedious. Between kids use of  "like," their liberal does of profanity, and their over use of other terms like "dude," there is a risk no one can read through your copy. So I cut some of the authentic stuff out in dialogue to just make it more appealing. 

The Brown and White

Forty plus years in the making, The Brown and White is a fictionalized memoir that tells the story of Collin Callaghan's freshman year at a Chicago Catholic High School. Collin is a white boy who is living in turbulent times in a changing city. He clings to his neighborhood and his family as he heads out each day with his classmates on the Brown and White, the ancient school bus driven by free-spirited Willie. Memorable characters abound as this story unfolds. Collin's loveable family, especially his Irish Catholic policeman father and his Irish immigrant mother face life together. Collin and classmates blaze their own humorous and passionate trail through the late 1960s. A unique cast of terrific teachers are there to see the boys through. Laughs and life meet readers head on as they travel on the Brown and White.

Chicago Bears Patrick McCaskey Headliner at Harbor House Tailgate Dinner

Patrick McCaskey--Sporting Chance Press author, Chicago Bears Vice President, and Treasurer of Catholic Radio WSFI and Sports Faith International--will be speaking at the Harbor House fundraising tailgate party, ages 21 and older only, Kankakee Country Club, 5:30 p.m. $125 per ticket. Auction, meal. 815-932-5814. Purchase tickets at harborhousedv.org.

Harbor House offers free and confidential comprehensive services to victims of domestic violence and their children:

• 24 Hour Crisis Hotline


• Crisis Intervention


• Emergency Shelter


• Individual & Group Counseling


• Support Groups


• Court Advocacy


• Information & Referrals


• System Advocacy (law enforcement, judicial, human services, etc.)


• Transitional Housing

Harbor House offers Community Education on issues relevant to Domestic Violence.

Harbor House's primary goal is to provide a safe environment in which to educate victims  and enable them to break their personal cycle of violence safely.