Have you ever observed the conventional antics or overheard the colorful conversation of a group of older and distinguished gentlemen at a sporting event, in a restaurant, or at a backyard barbecue and wondered about their relationship? How did they meet? How long have they been friends? What was the pivotal moment or event that transformed their connection from acquaintance to kinship? The(m) Jolly Boys is the awe-inspiring, insightful, and entertaining story about the mysterious, unique, and undercelebrated friendship between four men through the many iterations of our society. In this his first fiction novel, author Larry LaDell Robertson illustrates this dynamic through the personal experiences and challenges of a teacher, a garbage man, a train engineer, and a preacher all striving for sustained happiness for themselves and one another. Readers will embrace this captivating, funny, and real-talk page-turner, locking arms with Beauregard Jackson, Divine Oliver, Samaritan Ladeaux, and Arie Eubanks as they navigate through love, lust, fear, anger, heartbreak, and even fortune. With key historical markers juxtaposed with vivid and compelling messages, The(m) Jolly Boys delivers a touching prose about the curious and rarely-talked-about camaraderie and comradeship between men. The(m) Jolly Boys is a truly funny, intriguing, unique, heartwarming, unpredictable, inspiring love story. As you read this delightful story, you will immediately conjure up images of that brother, uncle, father, cousin, neighbor, or coworker who could easily be one of the four. That’s the power of this rarely told story.

This is the story of five young elementary school boys who are drawn into a basketball tournament by their school principal with no hope of winning. When a star player from a local high school team volunteers to coach the boys, miracles happen and the boys win the contest against all odds. An everlasting bond of fraternity is then formed and named The Jolly Boyz. This pledge of togetherness takes the young men through the youthful years of development, through high school, then college, reunions, marriages and culminating in a celebration cruise to the Caribbean. On an afternoon of great promise, the five members of the Jolly Boyz together with their wives and girlfriends, set sail from Tampa Bay. Right away however, they encounter an abandoned boat adrift in the Gulf of Mexico and things begin to get complex. Personality traits within the group, emerge together with memories of by gone days, testing the alliance. As the group gathers the resolve to overcome their differences, their bond grows stronger, developing into a pledge of re-commitment by each member of the Jolly Boyz to honor their vows of fidelity to their fraternity brothers, their wives and to life itself.

This is the lead novel from "The Liberty Boys of '76," #418, a Nickel Weekly publication containing tales of the American Revolution. It was originally published on January 1, 1909.