This book and its author grew up together. The 1960's in America transformed everyone who lived thru this amazing time in our nation's history. Civil rights laws were fought for and passed, women began to find a voice and break down barriers. Immigrant workers and Native Americans raised their voices. We became a smarter more aware nation.... for a while. The Vietnam war became a symbol of those times. The music helped define us and the illegal use of banned substances gave some of us the temporary courage to face the insanity head on. The ranch is a mostly accurate first-person account of one young man's strange journey from gung-ho high school student who lands himself in the middle of the "world's most dangerous Navy."; Our hero slowly evolves into a war resister who gets into exactly the amount of trouble to get assigned to a horse ranch in the US Navy. There are a few rants that I included for mostly therapeutic reasons and several well-chosen fits of profanity that help to paint the military experience as it was and I believe still is to this day. I consider this book funny and thoughtful but then I'm severely prejudiced. I wrote this back cover account myself because George Carlin and Joseph Heller had busy schedules in the afterlife and I don't know Sara Silverman....yet. "The Ranch" is my first attempt at being considered a writer. I have plans to write a second book that will document my experience as a telephone man in North East, New Jersey. There will be plenty of danger, sex, drugs, and rock and roll with a hint of the "Soprano's", so don't spoil my enthusiasm and buy this book. Thanks America. Chris Peck, telephone man, entrepreneur, artist, photographer, and..... author... Well, you be the judge.