Anecdotes of a pre-teen boy growing up during the Great Depression and WWII. The reader will experience the nostalgia and humor of a distressing time in history.
The years leading up to World War II were difficult. The Great Depression enveloped the entire country driving men to desperate measures to provide for their families. When World War II began, many essentials for living, already scarce or unaffordable were rationed for the war effort. The author spent these years living in an old ramshackle house in the small Florida town of Auburndale. This book is a collection of anecdotes with which people of that era will identify and appreciate. Others will enjoy the poignant; sometimes humorous adventures of a barefoot boy during the years 1935 to 1945, a time of great challenges and a time of human sacrifice not endured since the Civil War.
Excerpt
The Guinness Book of Records
I’d never heard of The Guinness Book of Records when at about six or seven years old, I decided to set a record I thought would stand forever as the most grapefruit eaten in one sitting.
The big beautiful grapefruit trees that shaded the yard provided dozens upon dozens of the delicious citrus fruit. Each tree’s spreading branches touching one another created a canopy that reminded me of a huge cavern. The deep shade was a respite from the hot Florida summer sunshine and provided a cool playing place for us kids. This oasis was my province. It is where I spent most of my time, where any passerby would likely find me either at my workbench or perched on a sprawling limb.
That’s where I was when I decided to set a new record. I balanced in the crotch of two large boles and began eating the big yellow Duncan grapefruit, an older variety not usually found today. My legs were dangling down and my back was resting against the main trunk so my hands were free. I just reached out, grabbed a grapefruit, peeled off the thick skin, separated the bitter membrane and ate the slightly tart juicy meat inside; and then pulled another.
Each “plug” as we called the sections, could be separated easily and one by one I kept devouring them, creating a mound of rind below, I consumed eighteen grapefruit before I couldn’t eat any more! Yes, I crammed in eighteen grapefruit in one sitting on a tree limb. Incredibly, I didn’t get sick, though admittedly I didn’t crave any more grapefruit for several days afterwards. I boasted of my achievement to anybody that would listen, but nobody believed me. I even threw down the gauntlet and challenged my doubters to take me on in a grapefruit-eating contest. Nobody took the challenge, so as far as I’m concerned, I still hold the record. But who cares? Well, a boy of seven has a hard time laying claim to any kind of record, so I’ll keep this one whether Guinness recognizes my feat or not. I can often be found to this day sitting on a back step peeling and eating grapefruit just same as I did when I set the record.
After a long awaited weekend visitation caused by false allegations of sexual abuse, Glen got to see his children for the first time in over two months. He promised them that they would never be apart again and then they disappeared.
Sepsis knocked her down and out. Faith, hope, and gave her the strength to get back on her feet. I am a Runner She fought the river of death They said she'd never run again
She proved them wrong...
Asa D Seeley, a young Afro American man, shares his struggle to leave his past behind as he reaches for his future. In his one-of-a-kind style, he searches for answers...from the visible & invisible. A Memoir in Poetical/Prose form.
