I think I learned more about the day-to-day lives of my great grandparents and grandparents in this book than anywhere else. The author is a novelist who had the idea of writing up something of a family history - only he had the idea early enough to capture wonderful source materials from his grandparents and parents while they were still around, and his professional skill allowed him to put it together in book format that stayed interesting (one exception, below).
His parents' families were centered in Iowa and North Dakota, and most of the book's action ends up in North Dakota. But it mirrors (and greatly expands upon) so much of what I've heard about those generations in NW Iowa - details of farming; details of the way the households operated; activities in towns as those towns matured; all set against some pretty empty land that was filling up pretty quickly. Town baseball team. First car; first tractor. Threshing crews. Blizzards. Horses.
The author's father farmed for some years and the descriptions are great; then he was able to go to med school and he became the country doc. Lots of descriptions here of making house calls, etc. The family moved into town so descriptions of that type of life.
The author's father developed a drinking problem and also was unfaithful to his marriage; for my taste, the author took too much time explaining all this, I didn't really care. But it was an important factor in the family history, I suppose.
This was a lucky find, much enjoyed.
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