What are you doing Derby Day?

About the Book

Summer, 1954. As Louisville, Kentucky simmered, society struggled to maintain ties to the old ways, which had seemed so correct. An air of gentleness existed then. Methods of doing business lacked the tense, high-pressure atmosphere found in northern cities. And a family name meant more then money, for it indicated a status earned though 200 years of Kentucky history. But, Louisville was changing with the tide of people and new industry moving in. To this setting, middle class Dusty Burton finds himself caught in a frustrating web of worries as he enters his third year of college. Fraternity parties, lifeguarding, the Draft, and Communists in America were surpassed by his love for ‘social girl’ Cindy York. What Are You Doing Derby Day? Dusty believed that question and the spectacular Kentucky Derby would work magic as he tried to win Cindy’s love forever. Here is a peek at youth in the 1950’s through the eyes of Dusty and Cindy during a restless year of conflicts. It is a light-hearted American Graffiti type story packed with humor and memories from that ‘innocent generation’.

About the Author

Forrest Johnson was born in Chicago, Illinois. He has served as a pastor of churches in the Middle West, New England and Texas. He began writing poetry, essays and stories while in the Navy during World War II. In addition to his work in the church, he has been an actor, television and radio commentator, and a practicing politician. The stories in this collection have been called Chekhovian by some readers as they seek to probe the heights and depths of human experience, as seen through the eyes of a journeyman parson. The renowned religious psychologist Anton Boisen suggested that Johnson write about the people he encountered in his work as a pastor: unlike doctors, who often write about the lives of patients, pastors seldom venture into the realm of the short story and the novel. Mr. Johnson works and writes on a small ranch in western New Mexico.