The Life of Mikey by Michael K. Willis starts off as an ordinary memoir of the life of a boy stuck between a rock and a hard place. Mikey is born and raised in a Baptist preacher's family. His parents have a big brood to take care of with limited resources at their disposal. This ensures that all the children become objects on which the parents vent their frustrations. The children are subjected to violent beatings and verbal abuse on a regular basis. In spite of the bitterness at home, the kids get into a lot of mischievous endeavors and have their own mechanisms to cope. The family keeps moving and the kids get to experience poverty, rural life and urban life in all forms. Changing schools and making new friends becomes a way of life for Mikey and his siblings. Mikey struggles with a lot of stuff, but emerges a victor by getting through college and keeping himself together. But, you need to read the whole story to really know the main factors that help him survive and cope

Mikey is a true hero. After having faced so many hardships at a young age, it takes someone with grit and determination to get on with life and, at some point, find enough grace to look at things from a different perspective and forgive. Though his childhood stories about smoking, fishing, rolling down a hill in a barrel are endearing, it is what he makes of his life that is the most extraordinary part of this memoir. Being able to look back and see the love and point behind the strict disciplinary measures they were subjected to, and move on to better things, is a story worth reading.

"All right, all you young’uns!" The Life of Mikey by Michael K. Willis tells the story of the author growing up as one of eight children of a minister in the Blue Ridge Mountains area of North Carolina in the 1950s and ‘60s. The family moved around a lot, eventually settling in Asheville, but Mikey and the others made friends wherever they went. The family’s life can be described as being in transition to modernity—they had a car, electricity, a telephone and eventually a television, but Mikey’s mother still canned vegetables herself and killed chickens by hand. Mikey, his brothers and their friends mainly spent their time outside school playing baseball and other sports, getting into mischief (such as finding a nest of snakes), riding their bicycles once they got to Asheville, and last but not least, fighting with other boys, especially bullies.

The Life of Mikey is told in a straight narrative style. It is very entertaining, but it leaves some questions unanswered—for example, why Mikey and his brothers were so well-adjusted, despite the fact that their father was somewhat distant and sometimes whipped them just “on general principle,” and that their mother not only whipped them too but regularly cursed at them. It could be that the support of the close-knit community was enough to overcome these problems. Particularly interesting was Mikey’s parents’ reaction to the civil rights movement of the early ’60—his mother hated black people and warned her kids against having anything to do with them, while his father disliked racial discrimination but was uneasy about Martin Luther King’s use of civil disobedience. All in all, The Life of Mikey by Michael K. Willis is a fascinating look at a particular place and time in recent American history.

The Life of Mikey: A Memoir by Michael K. Willis is an autobiographical novel about growing up in rural North Carolina as well as the impact that early childhood experiences, abuse, and neglect can have on someone forever. The Life of Mikey is written in a more or less sequential manner and follows Michael’s journey as one of several siblings who grew up in and around the Blue Ridge mountains. Michael’s father is a preacher and Michael writes about his father's external life as a respected member of the community and the frequent beatings and abuse that Michael endured within the confines of his home. His mother also deals with her own issues, along with raising several children, and the result is a childhood full of unhappy memories and neglect. The story is divided into several chapters and discusses Michael’s childhood, the beauty of the outdoors and the mountains of North Carolina in the '50s and '60s, their daily lifestyle, abuse at the hands of his father and occasionally his mother, becoming a teenager, young love, school life, and much more.

I liked reading The Life of Mikey and the story, although simple, is told so candidly that its simplicity itself is the highlight of this book. A lot of the episodes described in this tale are simple things in the life of anyone living in a rural area, especially 50 years or more ago, such as fishing in the creek, raising and killing their own food, etc. I also liked getting a glimpse of how it was growing up in an era where racial segregation was officially ending and the ensuing racial tension in the South. The writing style is genuine and engaging and definitely kept me interested throughout. I also appreciated how Michael has drawn attention to issues of mental health and how early upbringing can affect someone in profound ways as an adult. All in all, I would certainly recommend this book.

Many small towns near Asheville, North Carolina are the setting for this poignant memoir. Author Michael K. Willis shares his story of growing up in the 1950s and '60s as the son of a Southern Baptist minister in The Life of Mikey: A Memoir. Mikey is one of eight children of John Ralph Willis, Jr. and his wife, Mildred. This large family moved frequently from one church to another as the father’s goal was to work with larger congregations. The houses where they lived were often small and rustic. Both parents were physically and emotionally abusive, affecting all the children greatly. Mikey, the fourth oldest child, was often involved in schoolyard fights and conflicts with teachers. There were also good times, too, as the children found ways to entertain themselves, and the whole family visited relatives and took day trips. The ending of this book is memorable in many ways.

This memoir is unique in how it blends in the current events of the time period with the attitudes and beliefs within the family. One example is how the minister father believed in racial equality (although he did not support the civil rights movement), while the mother expressed racist beliefs. In The Life of Mikey: A Memoir both cultural and personal experiences are relayed in vivid detail. The author gives a detailed account of growing up in this era, and many readers will enjoy reading his memories. At times, the difficulties with which he lived can be challenging to read. People who are familiar with the Appalachian culture, or simply curious about it, will appreciate this book.