A fascinating recollection of a 1930s and 40s boyhood.

Neil Nelson's stories of growing up in Iowa during the Great Depression and World War II will keep you engaged and wanting more. You'll meet the timid boy, born on a farm, whose hard-working parents keep going despite scarcity and whose grandpa teaches him to hunt and fish. Follow the family to their modest cottage on the shores of Big Spirit Lake.

Neil introduces you to his sisters, relatives, friends, and neighbors, all of whom influence his development into an independent, determined young man.You'll read about an inspiring school superintendent, a bootlegger, and a bandleader whose growing fame makes his name a household word. You'll witness resourcefulness born of hard times, classmates who find ways to socialize without money, and boys called to serve in WWII-some of whom never return, and some who come home as men bearing scars.

Be uplifted by these remarkable-yet-ordinary folks. People who faced the difficult 1930s and '40s with diligence and fortitude.

These snippets of life are told in Neil Nelson's unassuming voice and punctuated by the enjoyment of trips to town.