In Honor Thy Father and Thy Mother, Richard Edward Noble takes us into the life, the mind, the very soul, of a young boy in the hardscrabble mill town of Lawrence, Massachusetts in the mid-1900s. The third child of a frequently absent alcoholic seaman and an abusive mother, Richard silently observes... more

In Honor Thy Father and Thy Mother, Richard Edward Noble takes us into the life, the mind, the very soul, of a young boy in the hardscrabble mill town of Lawrence, Massachusetts in the mid-1900s. The third child of a frequently absent alcoholic seaman and an abusive mother, Richard silently observes the interrelationships of those around him and struggles to understand his family and reconcile it with the catechism taught by the nuns at his school and the social mores evident elsewhere. Noble does an excellent job of capturing the observations, understanding and emotions of a young boy, wise beyond his years, wiser than any child should have to be, who teaches the reader the difference between discipline and abuse and between education and indoctrination. A hauntingly troubled story, Honor Thy Father and Thy Mother will take you to the dark side of a damaged child’s brain. Also by Richard Noble: “Hobo-ing America: A workingman’s tour of the U.S.A.” “A Summer with Charlie” “A Little Something: Poetry and Prose”