I read this at the behest of my mom who was deeply touched by it.

I thought it was poorly written sappy drivel that unconsciously displayed some of the least attractive qualities of the baby boomer generation.

The author, in an attempt at profundity, clumsily sought to inspire the reader with a moral narrative that would be insightful only to the most ethically stunted of persons. The book, while about teaching a young man to be a morally responsible and well-rounded person, seemed really to address an older audience of a generation that valued money over community, money over the environment, and money over family. There is an undertone of remorse in this story, laid on top of an exhausting sermon about living a moral life.

I suspect a great many adults read this book wishing to pass the author's set of ethics down to a generation of kids who were raised by bad examples of it.