Don't Call Me Jupiter—Book One "Tightrope": Memoir of a Reluctant Hippie Kid
Audible Logo Your audiobook is waiting!
Enjoy a free trial on us
$0.00
  • Click above for unlimited listening to select audiobooks, Audible Originals, and podcasts.
  • One credit a month to pick any title from our entire premium selection — yours to keep (you'll use your first credit now).
  • You will get an email reminder before your trial ends.
  • $14.95 a month after 30 days. Cancel online anytime.
Learn more about membership
Sold and delivered by Audible, an Amazon company
List Price: $19.95
By completing your purchase, you agree to Audible’s Conditions Of Use and Amazon's Privacy Notice.
Sold and delivered by Audible, an Amazon company
Amazon book clubs early access
Loading your book clubs
There was a problem loading your book clubs. Please try again.
Not in a club? Learn more
Amazon book clubs early access

Join or create book clubs

Choose books together

Track your books
Bring your club to Amazon Book Clubs, start a new book club and invite your friends to join, or find a club that’s right for you for free.
Explore Amazon Book Clubs

Don't Call Me Jupiter—Book One "Tightrope": Memoir of a Reluctant Hippie Kid Audible Audiobook – Unabridged

Tom J. Bross (Author, Narrator, Publisher)
4.3 4.3 out of 5 stars 785 ratings
See all formats and editions

For fans of Running with Scissors, The Glass Castle, and Educated, comes a true coming-of-age memoir about a vagabond family led by a self-absorbed, eccentric hippie mother during the age of Aquarius.

Devastating family drama, abandonment, and drugs are balanced with laugh-out-loud humor that will keep you turning pages. You'll laugh, cry, and be left begging for more. The story begins with an episode that occurred in 1974.

When Tom Bross (age 12) experiences a sudden move from Davis to San Anselmo to live with their God Family. Just two months later they move back to Davis with no place to live. His brother and sisters are dropped off at their friend's houses. Tom ends up in the garage of one of his mother's ex-lovers. It's from this dreary location that he recalls his family's truly strange transition.

Led by his mother, the Martha Stewart of Hippies, they transform from a normal conservative, mid-western, Catholic family into a clan of liberal, psychedelic-bus-tripping, pot-smoking, nature-loving, California free spirits. And with most dysfunctional families they come with a cost.

Author's Note: “Imagine a 1970’s version of Shameless but with less booze, more weed, and way more hallucinogenics.”

DON’T CALL ME JUPITER PROVIDES AN ACCURATE, VISCERAL, ENTERTAINING, REAL-LIFE PERSPECTIVE INTO THE UPS AND DOWNS OF SURVIVING A HIPPIE CHILDHOOD WITH A NARCISSIST AS A MOTHER. AS YOU DIG DEEPER INTO HIS STRUGGLE YOU LEARN HOW TO FORGIVE WHAT YOU CAN'T FORGET.

Previous page
  1. Listening Length
    8 hours and 13 minutes
  2. Author
    Tom J. Bross
  3. Narrator
    Tom J. Bross
  4. Audible release date
    March 16, 2021
  5. Language
    English
  6. Publisher
    Tom J. Bross
  7. ASIN
    B08Z1CGH7S
  8. Version
    Unabridged
  9. Program Type
    Audiobook
  10. See all details
Next page

Read & Listen

Switch back and forth between reading the Kindle book and listening to Audible audiobook.
Add the audiobook for a reduced price of $7.49 after you get the Kindle book as part of your Kindle Unlimited subscription.

Product details

Listening Length 8 hours and 13 minutes
Author Tom J. Bross
Narrator Tom J. Bross
Whispersync for Voice Ready
Audible.com Release Date March 16, 2021
Publisher Tom J. Bross
Program Type Audiobook
Version Unabridged
Language English
ASIN B08Z1CGH7S
Best Sellers Rank #32,083 in Audible Books & Originals (See Top 100 in Audible Books & Originals)
#118 in Dysfunctional Families (Books)
#119 in Dysfunctional Families (Audible Books & Originals)
#1,008 in Relationships (Audible Books & Originals)

Customer reviews

4.3 out of 5 stars
4.3 out of 5
785 global ratings
I LOVE LOVE LOVE THIS BOOK
5 Stars
I LOVE LOVE LOVE THIS BOOK
I’ve read the first and second books in this amazing trilogy, and I could not look away until I had devoured every word. I’m thrilled there will be a third installment coming soon! Tom Bross tells many stories of his childhood experiences in the 60s and 70s with a raw and witty narrative that captivates the reader. He covers tragedy and horror along with comical and creative events as “a reluctant hippie kid” going from a straight-laced Catholic Midwest family into the wilds of California Dreaming in small-town Davis, just an hour away from the peace/love/freedom culture movement in San Francisco. Anyone born after 1950 can relate to these stories, but few could tell the stories with such irony, honesty, and heart. Tom Bross is a brilliant story teller, and I will happily follow his career as an author. Thank you, Tom, for the trip down memory lane during such an impactful and dramatic time!
Hide
Thank you for your feedback
Sorry, there was an error
Sorry we couldn't load the review

Top reviews from the United States

KAT
5.0 out of 5 stars Outstanding!!!
Reviewed in the United States on April 9, 2024
Verified Purchase
I was hooked from page 1. The reader gets to know Tom and his family through flashbacks he is telling his therapist. It is, by turns, funny, unbelievable and dramatic. But the end. The end. I'm starting book two in ten minutes.
One person found this helpful
Helpful
 Report
Kindle Customer
4.0 out of 5 stars I don't want to - but I am.
Reviewed in the United States on March 31, 2024
Verified Purchase
You can tell by the way the acknowledgments are written what kind of an author he is going to be. Easy to read, using a lot of humor, pointing that finger at himself and others. It wasn't until I saw the first picture that I realized that this WAS the life they lived. It made my headache and my heart hurt. I swore that I would NOT read the next book..but I am. Read it and then see what you do.
2 people found this helpful
Helpful
 Report
akpresto
5.0 out of 5 stars SO MUCH FUN TO READ!
Reviewed in the United States on March 2, 2024
Verified Purchase
I whizzed through the three-book series. I can't remember loving, laughing, and crying over such a personal, funny, gut-wrenching (at times) book. Use of language: FANTASTIC! What an entertaining trip!
4 people found this helpful
Helpful
 Report
Amazon Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars Best books ever
Reviewed in the United States on April 17, 2024
Verified Purchase
I honestly have to say that this book series are the best books I have ever read. You can nor put them down !
Helpful
 Report
SUSAN STORM
3.0 out of 5 stars Good story
Reviewed in the United States on May 29, 2022
Verified Purchase
A little slow, but ok
Helpful
 Report
Paula
4.0 out of 5 stars Light reading
Reviewed in the United States on April 15, 2024
Verified Purchase
An easy read, the story flows, the descriptions are vivid.
Moments of both laughing out loud, and sadness. He is a little younger than me and his mom is a little older but anyone who lived through that era can surely relate. He's got me interest. I will read all 3. Enjoy!
One person found this helpful
Helpful
 Report
Kimberly
5.0 out of 5 stars Jupiter Memoir
Reviewed in the United States on May 6, 2024
Verified Purchase
I thoroughly enjoyed books 1 & 2. Reading book 3 right now. Sad story but there is some really funny parts in this memoir that makes you laugh out loud. Love it ❤️ Can’t wait to read Evergreen Lodge!!! Thanks for sharing.
Helpful
 Report
Patricia Catania
5.0 out of 5 stars I love him
Reviewed in the United States on March 3, 2024
Verified Purchase
What a great sense of humor. We were six siblings and each tried to top the other. Very creative kids. Very strong constitutions. I hope he keeps writing.
One person found this helpful
Helpful
 Report

Top reviews from other countries

Sandraburke
5.0 out of 5 stars Don't call me jupiter
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on April 16, 2024
Verified Purchase
Really enjoyed this although was quite sad in parts , showed the children's resilience .It highlighted the emotional effects of parenting by a mother without her own needs first , whilst relying on drugs for escapism
Report
dinglis173
5.0 out of 5 stars Do not miss
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on February 10, 2024
Verified Purchase
I binge read all 3 books over a few days.
They made me laugh, cry and shake my head in disbelief.
Tom Bross is a brilliant writer and I have recommended his books to everyone I know.
One person found this helpful
 Report