Publication Date: April 22, 2025
Sally Osterhoff is a genius. When she grows up, she wants to be a mathematician, a teacher, and a carpenter; and she plans to swim in the 1968 and 1972 Olympics. Her mother has other ideas, and will emotionally and physically abuse Sally to fit them. After all, she only wants what is best for her child. But between her father trying his best, the family next door who practically adopts her, and her Aunt & Uncle down in Ocean City where she spends her summers, Sally just might have the support and love she needs to make all of her dreams come true. Set against the backdrop of the Civil Rights struggles, the Vietnam War, and the early Feminist movement, the story explores the power of found family, and how unconditional love can come from the least expected places. Downeyoshun is a not-always-sentimental vacation to the ’50s, ’60s, and ’70s. Bring your swimsuit.
Escaping the big city for the fresh ocean air in the summer may be unusual for some, but for five-year-old Sally Osterhoff, it offers an opportunity for fun.
Through the lens of a young girl spanning 25 years, author Art Young crafts Downeyoshun, bringing alive a cast of characters set in Baltimore, Maryland. Sally’s mother, Susan, is the epitome of a Mommie Dearest character with arbitrary rules and a fondness for tossing her husband’s clothing out of a top-floor window.
Kindergarten brings freedom and the opportunity to interact with Marie, who lives in the same rowhouse as Sally. In spite of her mother’s repeated efforts to keep them apart, the two girls form a solid friendship that continues throughout the years and cements a sisterhood bond. As a respite, Sally spends each summer with relatives in Ocean City, which opens new doors, including a passion for swimming. Those summers are even better when Marie joins her.
Readers will easily detect moments throughout the story that spark nostalgia, such as the advent of television and Woolworths. What may initially appear as a coming-of-age narrative actually illustrates the contrasts between the family you are born into vs. the family you create. If there had been audio snippets included with the story, there would have been cheers as Sally’s father, Freddie, defies his wife on numerous occasions in order to create beautiful memories.
Downeyoshun will grab your heart and make you smile as you watch little Sally blossom from a timid little girl into a woman uplifted by her family of choice.
Art Young is a Baltimore-born U.S. Navy / Vietnam / Agent Orange veteran and cancer survivor. He was once a carny in a traveling gadget show, and has worked as a fire-extinguishing-system installer and serviceman, a brewery’s route delivery salesman, flexographic press operator, licensed boiler-plant engineer, and a storyteller. He much prefers the last. Downeyoshun is his debut novel.
