Boomer Tales: Hula Hoops, Hippies, Hemp, and Hijinks

Author LaRue Agresti captures the essence of a generation in this vivacious memoir.

As related in Boomer Tales, LaRue was born in Chicago in 1949. Her whimsical narration describes growing up in a wacky Italian family, complete with intriguing background material on her parents and their families, and speaks candidly of her mother’s battle with mental illness.

After chronicling her early years in Chicago, Boomer Tales goes on to provide a window into the Windy City’s turbulent social and political climate during the 1960s.

In the chapter titled “Key Lime Pie,” LaRue offers a vivid time capsule of the pot-infused 1970s hippie culture in the form of original letters sent from the Florida Keys to her sister back home in “Bummer City.”

But life brings her back to Chicago, and the 80s usher in an emotional time, as she contends with the difficulties of parents afflicted with cancer and Alzheimer’s disease.

Throughout the book, LaRue provides rich descriptions of her lively hometown, and her inclusion of the music that resonated with her peers helps bring her portrait of a baby boomer vibrantly to life.