Set in a small Oklahoma town in the mid-1960s—a simple place in a confusing time—Flatbellies is partly about the seemingly unreachable goal of a high school golf team: to win the state championship. But mostly it's about the way Chipper, Jay, L.K., Buster, the unforgettable Peachy, and their friends learn to deal with love, loss, friendship, fear, triumph, tragedy, growing up, and growing together. Fictionalized from the author's teenage years in the heartland of America, Flatbellies is a memorable and moving coming-of-age story.

I found that I could sympathize with the storyteller, Chipper DeHart, who cares less about his own scores than whether the team can progress to the championship. You definitely want to see both the team and Chipper succeed, both on and off the course.

The only real problem that I had with the book was that some of the characters seemed a little bit too stereotypical, particulary the teen wonder, Jay Justice, who combines good looks, athletic ability, and a photographic memory into a package that is just a bit too good to be true. If asked whether I wanted to spend a round golfing with Jay or the rebel from the other town, Smokey Ray Divine, I guess I'd have to take the later.

Overall, I really liked the book and look forward to see if Hollingsworth has another story to tell.