Hippie Boy: A Girl's Story

What would you do if your stepfather pinned you down and tried to cast Satan out of you? For thirteen-year-old Ingrid, the answer is simple: RUN.

Ingrid Ricks grew up in a dysfunctional Mormon family with an absent, freewheeling dad and an intensely religious mother who was desperate to ensure her family's eternal salvation. For years she yearned to escape the suffocating religion and poverty at home by joining her dad on the road as a tool-selling vagabond. When her parents divorce and her mother marries Earl--a cruel authoritarian who exploits his Church-ordained priesthood powers to oppress her family--she gets her wish. At thirteen, Ingrid begins spending her summers hustling tools throughout the Midwest with her dad and his sleazy revolving sales crew. He becomes her lifeline and escape from Earl. But when her dad is arrested, she learns a lesson that will change her life: she can't look to others to save her; she has to save herself.

Ingrid Ricks is also the author of Focus, a memoir about retinitis pigmentosa, and A Little Book of Mormon (and Not So Mormon) Stories. She co-launched WeAreAbsolutelyNotOkay.org, a nationally recognized mentoring/publishing program for at-risk teens. Her essays and stories have been published in Salon, Ladies Home Journal, and The Advocate, among others.

“A soft-spoken yet resounding reminder of the power plays tied to religion...Ricks voice is true, and her prose has a poised confidence missing from the repertoires of many established authors.” --Booklist

“A stunning masterpiece...Though this is a memoir, it reads like a fictional story, with all the necessary literary elements including conflict, religious strife and character arcs. Brilliant, emotional...you feel empowered and inspired when you reach the last page.” – eNovelReviews.com

“A stunning masterpiece...Though this is a memoir, it reads like a fictional story, with all the necessary literary elements including conflict, religious strife and character arcs. Brilliant, emotional...you feel empowered and inspired when you reach the last page.”-eNovelReviews.com

What would you do if your stepfather pinned you down and tried to cast Satan out of you? For thirteen-year-old Ingrid, the answer is simple: RUN.

For years Ingrid Ricks yearned to escape the poverty and the suffocating brand of Mormon religion that oppressed her at home. Her chance came when she was thirteen and took a trip with her divorced dad, traveling throughout the Midwest, selling tools and hanging around with the men on his shady revolving sales crew. It felt like freedom from her controlling mother and cruel, authoritarian stepfather—but it came with its own disappointments and dysfunctions, and she would soon learn a lesson that would change her life: she can't look to others to save her; she has to save herself.