The Wonder Years

Kevin Arnold is twelve years old and lives in a middle-class suburb in the United States in the late 1960s. His father, Jack, works for a defense company and has very rigid ideas about how the world should be. His mother, Norma, keeps the household running and often acts as the peacemaker. The home is also shared by his brother Wayne, who loves tormenting him, and his sister Karen, who has become a hippie. Kevin wants to fit in, impress Winnie Cooper, the girl he has a crush on, and keep his friendship with Paul Pfeiffer, his best friend. The story is told in the voice of adult Kevin, who looks back on those years and reflects on what he learned. Amid family arguments and doubts within his friendships, the protagonist tries to understand what it means to grow up.