{"product_id":"carrying-albert-home-the-somewhat-true-story-of-a-man-his-wife-and-her-alligator-isbn-9780062325891","title":"Carrying Albert Home: The Somewhat True Story of A Man, His Wife, and Her Alligator","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eBig Fish\u003c\/em\u003e meets \u003cem\u003eThe Notebook\u003c\/em\u003e in this emotionally evocative story about a man, a woman, and an alligator that is a moving tribute to love, from the \u003cem\u003eNew York Times\u003c\/em\u003e bestselling author of the award-winning memoir \u003cem\u003eRocket Boys\u003c\/em\u003e—the basis of the movie \u003cem\u003eOctober Sky.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eElsie Lavender and Homer Hickam (the father of the author) were high school classmates in the West Virginia coalfields, graduating just as the Great Depression began. When Homer asked for her hand, Elsie instead headed to Orlando where she sparked with a dancing actor named Buddy Ebsen (yes, that Buddy Ebsen). But when Buddy headed for New York, Elsie’s dreams of a life with him were crushed and eventually she found herself back in the coalfields, married to Homer.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eUnfulfilled as a miner’s wife, Elsie was reminded of her carefree days with Buddy every day because of his unusual wedding gift: an alligator named Albert she raised in the only bathroom in the house. When Albert scared Homer by grabbing his pants, he gave Elsie an ultimatum: \u003cem\u003e“Me or that alligator!”\u003c\/em\u003e After giving it some thought, Elsie concluded there was only one thing to do: Carry Albert home.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eCarrying Albert Home\u003c\/em\u003e is the funny, sweet, and sometimes tragic tale of a young couple and a special alligator on a crazy 1,000-mile adventure. Told with the warmth and down-home charm that made \u003cem\u003eRocket Boys\u003c\/em\u003e a beloved bestseller, Homer Hickam’s rollicking tale is ultimately a testament to that strange and marvelous emotion we inadequately call love.\u003c\/p\u003e | \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eBig Fish\u003c\/em\u003e meets \u003cem\u003eThe Notebook\u003c\/em\u003e in this emotionally evocative story about a man, a woman, and an alligator that is a moving tribute to love, from the \u003cem\u003eNew York Times\u003c\/em\u003e bestselling author of the award-winning memoir \u003cem\u003eRocket Boys\u003c\/em\u003e—the basis of the movie \u003cem\u003eOctober Sky.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eElsie Lavender and Homer Hickam (the father of the author) were high school classmates in the West Virginia coalfields, graduating just as the Great Depression began. When Homer asked for her hand, Elsie instead headed to Orlando where she sparked with a dancing actor named Buddy Ebsen (yes, that Buddy Ebsen). But when Buddy headed for New York, Elsie’s dreams of a life with him were crushed and eventually she found herself back in the coalfields, married to Homer.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eUnfulfilled as a miner’s wife, Elsie was reminded of her carefree days with Buddy every day because of his unusual wedding gift: an alligator named Albert she raised in the only bathroom in the house. When Albert scared Homer by grabbing his pants, he gave Elsie an ultimatum: \u003cem\u003e“Me or that alligator!”\u003c\/em\u003e After giving it some thought, Elsie concluded there was only one thing to do: Carry Albert home.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eCarrying Albert Home\u003c\/em\u003e is the funny, sweet, and sometimes tragic tale of a young couple and a special alligator on a crazy 1,000-mile adventure. Told with the warmth and down-home charm that made \u003cem\u003eRocket Boys\u003c\/em\u003e a beloved bestseller, Homer Hickam’s rollicking tale is ultimately a testament to that strange and marvelous emotion we inadequately call love.\u003c\/p\u003e | \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003ePraise for \u003ci\u003eRocket Boys\u003c\/i\u003e:\u003c\/b\u003e  “Thoroughly charming....An eloquent evocation of a lost time and place.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eNew York Times\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“Hickam’s recollections of small-town America in the last years of small-town America are so cinematic that even those of us who didn’t grow up there might imagine we did.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003ePhiladelphia Inquirer\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“Unforgettable.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eUSA Today\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“Great memoirs must balance the universal and the particular...In his debut, Hickam...walks the line beautifully...No matter how jaded readers have become by the onslaught of memoirs, none will want to miss the fantastic voyage of BCMA, Auk and Coalwood.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003ePublishers Weekly on Rocket Boys\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“Recalling a lost era, the transition between small-town life and the dawning of the new technological age, he brings his American hometown to life with vivid images, appealing characters and considerable literary magic.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003ePublishers Weekly on The Coalwood Way\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“Must-read… A funny yet tragic tale of a husband and wife’s car journey across the US with Albert the alligator in tow. Yes, really.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eMarie Claire (UK)\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“A lifetime of adventures – meeting John Steinbeck, witnessing industrial rebellions, joining the coast guard and experiencing a hurricane – are condensed into one epic journey. It’s utterly charming, exploring the ups and downs of love and marriage, and celebrating eccentricity.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe Scotsman\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“An intentionally improbable, bizarre trip through Southern Americana that is ...an amalgam of fact and an almost Walter Mitty-esque degree of fancy, evoking (because of the deadly yet indispensable animal) Life of Pi and (because of the trope of life as journey) Huckleberry Finn.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eBookPage\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“In all of its romance, humor, swashbuckling action, heartwarming affection, and tear-jerking sadness, CARRYING ALBERT HOME, in a word, is fantastic.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eFlorida Book Review\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“An entertaining memoir-like fantasy adventure\/family tribute\/love story.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eFlorida Times-Union\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“Homer Hickam weaves together family lore, historical accuracies, comedy and a touch of sadness... It is those blurred lines between truth, the unreliability of memories and the way stories become stretched and exaggerated over time that give this novel its charm.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eLisa Ko, author of The Leavers\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"William Morrow","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":44888233771237,"sku":"NP9780062325891","price":25.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1842\/7735\/files\/9780062325891.jpg?v=1730228554","url":"https:\/\/k12savings.com\/es\/products\/carrying-albert-home-the-somewhat-true-story-of-a-man-his-wife-and-her-alligator-isbn-9780062325891","provider":"K12savings","version":"1.0","type":"link"}