Publisher's Synopsis
Carl Bourne tells you the story of his youth, set against the history of the 1930's and 1940's. When his father dies suddenly on June 14,1934, the family had been listening on their Wolford radio to the Max Baer vs Max Schmeling prize fight for the title of Heavy Weight Champion of the World. Max Baer won the fight and held the title till 1935, but eleven year old Carl lost his beloved father later that night. The untimely death of his father affected not only Carl, but his older brother, Milton, who was 13, and his oldest brother, Sanford, who was 15. They were mere children by today's standards, but suddenly helping their mother, Grace, hold onto their family farm became their best chance for survival in those desparate depression days.
Their lives take a more extreme turn when an opportunistic neighbor sets in action a plan to foreclose the mortgage on their farm. Trying to save their farm, each boy quits school at age 16 in order to work for survival of the family.
As Carl grows to young adulthood, he embraces his life telling you of meeting and falling in love with his future wife, Betty Lou. As a young man he serves in the Army because he wants to serve America. Without graphic detail he writes of his service in the Ardennes-Alsace, (Battle of the Bulge), Battle for the Rhineland, and Battle for Central Europe.
Included in the book are photos of the farm, his immediate family, poetry he wrote while overseas, documents of his military service.
His descriptive writing and gentle humor will engage you in his story. The introduction and epilogue, written by his daughter, tells you how adaptable and optimistic he remained throughout his 90 years of life. It's the story of a simple life that was simply remarkable.