Arithmetic recounts the humorous trials of a group of pre-adolescent boys growing up in late 1960s southern California. Told in the first person, it delves into the not always rational minds of how boys think. Although there's something interesting about girls they don't quite know what that may be just yet. Their primary preoccupation is space exploration and trying to rationalize their way out of trouble. Arithmetic is the major challenge in life. The attendant humiliation when called to the front of the class leaves the chalk sweaty from an angst ridden death grip because they never quite know the answer. ( )