SKU: 72940083957

The Light Years: A Memoir

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The Light Years: A MemoirLambda Literary Award Finalist A New York Times Book Review Editors' Choice Named a best book of 2019 by Parade The Light Years is a joyous and defiant coming of age memoir set during one of the most turbulent times in American history This stunningly beautiful, original memoir is driven by a search for the divine, a quest that leads Rush into some dangerous places . . . The Light Years is funny, harrowing, and deeply tender. Kate Tuttle, The L. A.

Lambda Literary Award Finalist A New York Times Book Review Editors' Choice
Named a best book of 2019 by Parade

The Light Years is a joyous and defiant coming-of-age memoir set during one of the most turbulent times in American history

This stunningly beautiful, original memoir is driven by a search for the divine, a quest that leads Rush into some dangerous places . . . The Light Years is funny, harrowing, and deeply tender. --Kate Tuttle, The L.A. Times

Rush is a fantastically vivid writer, whether he's remembering a New Jersey of 'meatballs and Windex and hairspray' or the dappled, dangerous beauty of Northern California, where 'rock stars lurked like lemurs in the trees.' Read if you loved... Just Kids by Patti Smith. --Leah Greenblatt, Entertainment Weekly

"As mythic and wild with love, possibility, and danger as the decades it spans, you'll read The Light Years with your breath held. Brutal, buoyant and wise to the tender terror of growing up, Chris Rush has written a timeless memoir of boyhood in the American wilderness." --Emma Cline, author of The Girls

Chris Rush was born into a prosperous, fiercely Roman Catholic, New Jersey family. But underneath the gleaming mid-century house, the flawless hostess mom, and the thriving businessman dad ran an unspoken tension that, amid the upheaval of the late 1960s, was destined to fracture their precarious facade.

His older sister Donna introduces him to the charismatic Valentine, who places a tab of acid on twelve-year-old Rush's tongue, proclaiming: "This is sacrament. You are one of us now."

After an unceremonious ejection from an experimental art school, Rush heads to Tucson to make a major drug purchase and, still barely a teenager, disappears into the nascent American counterculture. Stitching together a ragged assemblage of lowlifes, prophets, and fellow wanderers, he seeks kinship in the communes of the west. His adolescence is spent looking for knowledge, for the divine, for home. Given what Rush confronts on his travels--from ordinary heartbreak to unimaginable violence--it is a miracle he is still alive.

The Light Years is a prayer for vanished friends, an odyssey signposted with broken and extraordinary people. It transcends one boy's story to perfectly illustrate the slow slide from the optimism of the 1960s into the darker and more sinister 1970s. This is a riveting, heart-stopping journey of discovery and reconciliation, as Rush faces his lost childhood and, finally, himself.

Binding Type: Paperback
Publisher: Picador USA
Published: 03/24/2020
ISBN: 9781250251190
Pages: 384
Weight: 0.70lbs
Size: 8.20h x 5.30w x 1.10d
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SKU: 72940083957

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Jason Dong
Belleville, US
★★★★★ 5
my dogs love it
Color: Orange
This interactive toy has been a lifesaver for keeping my furry friend occupied. It moves around in unpredictable ways, which really keeps him engaged and guessing. The rope attachment is a nice touch, allowing for a bit of tug-of-war when he's feeling energetic. It's durable enough to withstand his enthusiastic play, which is a huge plus. I've noticed he's less anxious and destructive when I'm not home since he has this to play with. Definitely a great purchase for any dog owner looking to provide some mental stimulation.
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Reviewed in the United States on April 25, 2026
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Verified Purchase
Douglas J
Grantham, US
★★★★★ 5
How many dog toys have you bought that just laid on the floor unused?
Color: Orange
New husky has more energy than an entire pre-school - even being walked more than three miles a day wasn’t sufficient to drain her excess energy. I threw the dice on this - and it’s AWESOME. Comes with an extra rope and an extra side piece. Rechargeable with a USB-C cable. When you turn it on, the blue LEDs flash, the entire device buzzes, bounces, and races back and forth across the floor. After a couple of days of uncertainty, my new husky LOVES this. She chases it around, grabs it by the attached rope and carries it from room to room. After a short bit of activity, the toy goes into ‘sleep’ mode, until either the dog touches it again or a timer has elapsed, and then it fires up and starts buzzing and racing around the floor again. From a full charge, the toy will keep your dog entertained all day. Bright orange color makes it much easier to find when it’s rolled behind the toilet (as it did this afternoon). Sturdy. Highly resistant to chew damage. If this one wears out or breaks, I’ll absolutely get another one.
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Reviewed in the United States on April 20, 2026
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Verified Purchase
Grant
Charlottesville, US
★★★★★ 4
Puppy interactive toy
Color: Orange, Color: Orange
It’s a great toy as it keeps my 5 month old puppy very entertained! It is pretty hardy and made of good material as she tries to throw it around and chew it. She does swing it around and the hard part will hit her. She doesn’t seem bothered by it tho lol good size and minimum noise When I first introduced her to it she was a little scared but now she gets excited to play with it once it finishes charging.
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Reviewed in the United States on May 2, 2026
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Verified Purchase
LEE SANG
Los Angeles, US
★★★★★ 5
My Dog Is Obsessed With This Toy!
Color: Orange, Color: Orange
My dog absolutely loves this toy and plays with it every day. The moving and rolling action keeps him entertained much longer than regular toys. He loves chasing it around the house and tugging on the rope. It’s also nice because it helps burn off some of his energy indoors. The material feels pretty sturdy, and charging was easy. Definitely one of the best interactive toys I’ve bought for my dog!
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Reviewed in the United States on May 19, 2026
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Verified Purchase
rebe99
Port Orchard, US
★★★★★ 3
Waste of Money
Color: Orange
Cool toy but my dog ate through it the second day he played with it. It is not for strong dogs. No durability. I had to throw away the orange covers and now he just throws it around.
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Reviewed in the United States on May 18, 2026

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