<p>Off The Tracks:&nbsp; A Beatnik Family Journey is a coming of age novel set in the whorl of the early 1960s when the first cracks in an idealized American life were revealing themselves.&nbsp; Kate a resourceful eleven-year old girl craves home and security. Her mother Ellie falls in love with a Beatnik and adopts his alternative lifestyle in an attempt to create a new family unit. Hilarious poignant and sad the characters explore alternatives to conventional relationships and identities as they travel to places that are deeply affected by Cold War events.</p>