Mr. McNeil's Stories

I was 22, one year away from getting my teaching degree. I grew up believing love is a lie. I couldn’t teach with that kind of damage. I decided I needed a real Final Exam. I spent the summer supervising a gang of pineapple pickers: 13 boys, 16- to 18-years-old. I was their boss in the field and their counselor in camp. But I knew what I was getting into. When I was 16 I spent the summer picking pineapples to get away from the stepfather that taught me love is a lie

I’ve written a book about this summer that changed my life. I tried shopping the manuscript around. Looks like it’s not good enough to get published yet. I know I could self-publish, but I think it deserves better than that. If I give up trying to find a publisher, I will self publish. Until then I will continue to tell the stories and rewrite as I go. That is the biggest benefit to telling the stories to adults: it’s forced me to improve them.

I am still amazed that Jeff Bushman recorded this video the Summer that I was a supervisor.

Coming soon