This is my seventh book for this year. My sister got this book from one of those little box libraries that are placed in playgrounds and other public areas. You are supposed to leave a book and take a book. I'm sure you have seen them around. She read it and thought I would enjoy it, too.
Life Was Simpler Then (copyright 1963, 186 pages) is a nice telling of Loula Grace Erdman's childhood. She grew up before tv, wide spread automobile use, and even radio. My favorite chapters were chapter 2 which was about the telephone operator and how integral she was to the community and chapter 10 which was about school and the literary society in which they prepared recitations. Chapter 10 in particular was very inspiring for my homeschool mindset. It renewed my desire to have my children memorize the Gettysburg Address, the preamble of the U.S. Constitution, the poem about Paul Revere's Ride and things like that. It made me think of my Grandma who had learned the Gettysburg Address by rote memory in her school days. I can remember her saying it to me. The chapter about the telephone operator was very vivid to me because we had recently listened to the audiobook Horse of a Different Color by Ralph Moody in which the telephone lady plays a vital role. All the things that Loula Erdman describes are demonstrated in a big way in Ralph Moody's story. Hearing these stories in close proximity to one another really benefited my understanding.
I enjoy reading about how things were done in the past and the stories that make another person's life so relatable. Many things have changed over the years but people have stayed much the same. The basic desires we all have to be useful and fulfilled. The way sibling relationships fit together and people grow into new roles as we age. The human condition in all time periods has recognizable similarities. Reading first hand accounts of people's childhoods like this brings the past to life.
This book reminded me a lot of Old Squire's Farm by C.A. Stephens. Old Squire's Farm is much longer, though. If you like these kinds of stories, I recommend you check out these books.
I'd love to hear what you have been reading lately. Please let me know in the comments!
2 comments:
That looks like a good book! I'll have to see if it is available at my local library. The last book I read was "Wild Violets, The Years of Hope" by Alma Arthur. It is an autobiography about the author's childhood during the Great Depression and World War 2 years in Louisiana. I enjoyed the book and learned a lot of history by reading it.
Currently, I'm reading "Cocktail Hour Under the Tree of Forgetfulness" by Alexandra Fuller. It is about the author's mother's childhood growing up in Africa. I'm not sure If I recommend it or not, yet. I've only read around 60 pages so far. It is not the type of book I typically choose to read, but I randomly saw it at the library and just decided to try it. -Alyssa
Thank you for the comment, Alyssa.
"Wild Violets, The Years of Hope," sounds like my kind of book. I like autobiographies.
You'll have to let me know how the other one turns out. It sounds like interesting.
Post a Comment