My Best Friend Is a Wookie: One Boy's Journey to Find His Place in the Galaxy »

Tony Pacitti has written for southcoast247.com as a features writer and video game reviewer and has had his short science fiction published at 365tomorrows.com. He has been the writer for the online comics RoboPlanet and The Silencer at Pandemonium Comics.

In a galaxy far, far away a geek was born.

So begins the real-life hero's journey of Jedi Knight wannabe Tony Pacitti. In this hilarious coming-of-age memoir, Tony shows how Star Wars has served as a source of comfort, guidance, and wisdom in his life. From the first thunderous boom of John William's score, seven-year-old Tony takes on Star Wars as his moral compass, his mentor, even his psychologist. Like his hero Luke Skywalker, Tony must then overcome Stormtrooper bullies, Lando turncoats, and Emperor Palpatine authority figures and embrace his own geekiness to grow into a man worthy of riding shotgun with Chewie.

With the sense of humor of Han Solo, the willpower of Luke Skywalker, and the wisdom of a (much younger) Yoda, Pacitti uses the Force to follow his heart, overcome obstacles, and live a life worthy of a Jedi knight, endearing Star Wars fans everywhere in the process!

Publishers Weekly

In a galaxy right under his nose, a pants-peeing boy of seven experienced a rebirth while watching The Empire Strikes Back. From this "first kiss" a lifelong love affair begins, and Pacitti is entertainingly adept at finding a Star Wars parallel for almost any life experience, including his Jabba-like, playground-ruling enemy from second grade. Just as Luke Skywalker struggled to become a Jedi, Pacitti fights the dark side of depression and heartbreak, finding solace in a distant galaxy where the good guys don't always win. Though the recent prequel trilogy ("six years and seven-ish hours of crap" nowhere near justified by 20 minutes of "kind of neat") proves to be his ultimate heartbreak. Pacitti's prose is often perfunctory and, though he earns his nerd badge, bloated plot summaries and snarky commentary tarnish its shine. But when he taps into his personal experience Pacitti writes with honesty, enthusiasm, and occasional hilarity. Many a Star Wars fan will find charm in this familiar story; those who don't know their Wars from their Trek may be carried along by a deeply-examined connection to pop culture. (Sept.)