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Romance and obstacles
Another autobiographical book, this one fictionalized, is Lemon Flavored Cigarettes by Barberton writer J L Peters. The plot is set up when a young reporter snares an interview with business mogul Danny Dowd and comes away with a story of young love.
Danny, diagnosed with diabetes in childhood, grows from all-American boy to long-haired slacker '70s college student. He meets and falls for Annie Richards, and their relationship is the heart of the book. Danny's grades improve and he is prepared to spend the rest of his life with Annie.
He's not prepared, though, for the dirty tricks Annie's sorority uses to keep them apart. She goes through a hazing that includes mental and physical punishment, and a promiscuous ``Zeta'' sister is assigned to seduce and betray Danny.
By the end of the book, the reader will have forgotten the premise of the interview and wonder why these bright people allow themselves to be so manipulated. Peters himself has diabetes, so his account of Danny's symptoms have the ring of authenticity. Still, one questions that the amount of beer he consumes doesn't have a more toxic effect. (He shouldn't be smoking, either.)
Lemon Flavored Cigarettes (238 pages, softcover) costs $15.50 from Washington House (
www.edenplaza.com).