a worthy trip back in time
594448
Though there are a few editing issues, I found this book to be a thoroughly enjoyable read. It was a pageturner for me: 14th century, intrigue, love story on several levels, and told from the point of views of two main characters.
1682694
This is a nostalgia trip I've shared with some female friends and family: the clothing of our sisters and sweethearts back in the late Thirties, the war years, and then the postwar college years of the late Forties.  A thoughtful viewer/reader will recognize familiar icons of his dating and courtship days (ah, those camel's hair coats, that "Circle Pin" look!).  Rahar's, Joe's, brandy alexanders, one's first pizza, memories crowd the stage!  alan n. hall
4836243
Enjoyed walking down memory lane - one of the good ones from that era.
4755040
If you're old enough to remember radio from the 1940s (as I am), I recommend this readable account of radio during the 1920s and 1930s.  The story of radio moving from point-to-point transmission (radiotelephone) to broadcasting should be of interest to anyone interested in American history.  For me, it was an enjoyable trip down nostalgia lane.  Holy mackerel, Andy.
3171305
Attention all nostalgia buffs ! This book is not only chock full with amazing photos of movie theaters and memorabilia which will make your head spin, but it also will transport you back in time. Kudos to the author for allowing me to enjoy the simple pleasures of a bygone era!
1792391
I read this long, long ago for the first time and loved it. Nostalgia drove me back to re-reading many of the books of my youth. I liked a  lot of this again but skimmed through certain parts. It is good to get a sense of at least Cloete's version of late 19th century Britain and South Africa and his empathy for South Africa's country and peoples comes through. For those who think the world has become a poorer place than it used to be, check out his revelations re 19th C. prostitution, white slaving, race relations and the general inhumanity of Britain's concentration camps, the key device used to end the Boer war. Cloete's baddies are perhaps better characterizations than his Turnbull, Boetie and Miss Elsie (the heroes). Maybe its just that villainy is so much more dramatically attractive.

This is a good book to give you a sense of the miasma that was the Boer War. Though its happy endings (for most of its characters) may strike a slightly cynical nerve in a modern reader, it is filled with romance and great tragedy. Good for a nostalgic read that recalls an idealized past that never really existed.
4548881
An entertaining and nostalgic journey through an interesting life, snatches of the the past one might say,brings to life a journey we all take and reflect on,few of us put it on the record,most people don't have a lot to relate anyway,  The author has and it's to our advantage , An undercurrent of humor all through makes it a light but absorbing account, brings to mind the oft quoted , Life is a journey ,not a destination,well worth the read.
1150497
This is a view into the rich past of Wisconsin during a time which we weren't all absorbed by trivialities, during a time when life was simpler. A stellar, fulfilling read.
4775956
I enjoyed a great deal.  I know one of the guys on the trip, so had a personal interest.  What an adventure they had, will be able to look back on those memories.
1435130
This was a very pleasurable read. It allowed me to revisit a bygone era and served-up much of my childhood to me, with many of its happy memories. I believe any Montrealer-in-exile would enjoy the book. (Even non-Montrealers might get a kick out of it.)
4617599
Most people alive today were not in 1942.  But most of them in the United States know the wit, wisdom and humorous verses of Charles Osgood from radio and television.  Mr. Osgood turned nine in that fateful year for the United States, and with the aid of recollections shared by his sister, Mary Ann, he takes us back to those more innocent and imaginative times.  For those who were not alive then, it will be an unforgettable journey.  For those who remember those same days, it will be to see them afresh . . . as a young person again.  Both experiences will be well worth the trip.
At one level, the book reads like Tom Sawyer in 1942 as Mr. Osgood describes running away from home, cultivating the family's victory garden, watching out for enemy planes overhead, his attempts to "woo" the two girls who attracted his fancy, and his battles with music lessons.  For those who appreciate such stories, this will be a five star book.
At another level, Mr. Osgood is attempting to share something more profound, something we have lost since 1942 -- a child's ability to develop her or his own imagination in a largely unfettered way.  For Mr. Osgood, radio dramas provided this spark.  He could fill in the details behind the story line with his imagination and enjoy something much richer than what we would see in a comic book, a cartoon or even a full-length movie.  I had an epiphany as I read those observations.  I realized that the reason I prefer to read rather than watch movies or television or listen to radio talk shows is because I can populate my mind with more intriguing stories and ideas than I can find prepackaged in those outlets.  In today's tightly scheduled, television-dominated world, I wonder if we have robbed our children and grandchildren of their greatest potential heritage from us from failing to help them develop the skill to do the same.  I hope not.
A bit part of the charm of this tale is that Mr. Osgood is equally good at lampooning today's society as well as pointing out the unbelievable navet of 1942.  In the process, I was reminded of how difficult communications are . . . as he recounts so many occasions when the "plain words" provided a confusing meaning to him and other children.
Because I know and love his voice so much, I found myself "listening" to him as I read the words.
Naturally, he shares examples of his typical poetry . . . so the book has an "Osgood File" feel to it.  And that's a very fine feel to have.
381432
This was a pleasurable and easy read.. an historical and nostalgic visit to the developing past of a community which was most evidently meaningful to the author.
2999766
The author has done an amazing job taking readers back in time. The author captures the past in a remarkable tale of adventure and combines the real history with the science fiction of time travel, or maybe traveling to the past may be science fact before we know it.
2861227
Jackie Jackson allows her readers to time travel to the early to mid- 20th century America, riding around looking out through her eyes at events on a Wisconsin dairy farm. Yes, you'll learn more than you ever imagined about the artificial insemination of cattle--but you'll also appreciate why a scientific approach improved livestock and production. The humorous stories, anecdotes, and bits of historic documents reveal a warm and decent family, the strands of their lives tangling with their workers and neighbors. It's a joyful trip into another world, one that is disappearing in the era of corporate dairy operations.

Turtle Township and Beloit are in southern Wisconsin, not far north of Rockford, IL. Look closely and you can still see the round barn from the highway, disused and on its way to ruin. But the heart and soul of the place can be found between the covers of this book, still vibrant and fully alive.
3295787
This was a great book.  It transported me back in time. It reminded me of how things have changed. Worth reading.
109397
Felt like I was being transported back to that place and time! Well-written prose, even though I personally have shied away from reading books in first-person narrative. Plot was good and it gives a realistic sense of the way things were back in those frontier days. Can't wait for sequel to this.
2214245
Although this is a collection of reminisces that jumps around a bit, I still found it highly enjoyable. Sullivan was quite the character and had many an exciting adventure rounding up outlaws and bad men. He is also a creature of his times, as shown by his arresting a black woman merely for the "crime" of being married to a white man, something that was illegal in the Texas of the 1890's. Be warned that the last chapter of the book is a collection of poetry and songs that he and his friends wrote - and it's pretty maudlin and hokey, but still a good peek into the mindset of the working man of the times.