Now Available
Growing Up in the OP:
Tales of a Midwestern
Baby Boomer
What People Are Saying
“Richard Paradise was the cool kid slightly older than the three Kaine boys. We lived two blocks from him, went to Church together, attended the same high school, and spent a lot of fun time with his family growing up. While I cannot vouch for either the moral propriety or strict factual accuracy of his stories, I will say that they are all true. He captures well the innocence, anxieties, and mischief of white, Catholic, Midwestern boyhood in the ’60s and ’70s. I can see now how fortunate I was to grow up as I did, and Richard’s book, for all its humor, is ultimately about gratitude.”
– Tim Kaine,
United States Senator from Virginia
“Richard Paradise blends the rare gifts of warm recall and bust-a-gut wit as he spins timeless stories familiar to anyone, whether they grew up in the OP or Two Egg, Florida.”
– Larry Bud Meyer,
former Miami Herald newsman
and author of Mother Fracker
“In this new book, Richard Paradise recounts experiences of his youth in the city of Overland Park, Kansas. I also grew up in this city, and in fact I still live here. Richard paints a wonderful portrait of growing up in the ’60s and ’70s in middle-class suburbia. You don’t have to be from Overland Park to be able to relate to Richard’s musings. There is a degree of commonality we all experienced during this era, and Richard does a great job of painting the canvas in a way that is nostalgic, heartwarming, and humorous. I guess you could say he nailed it. Kudos!”