1 comments about Ouachita Girl.

1. No matter who you are or where you grew up, you will relate to the wonderful stories written and told by Linda Johnson. Her characters are innocent but curious and alive -- with each word I was there with them.

5 comments about Country Boy.

1. The universal identification of good warm feelings aren't easily reduced to a cold analysis. The kind of feelings this book arouse need to be experienced in the reading and 'relating.' Dan Prusi does a masterful job in describing certain childhood memories which naturally trigger neronal synapses in the limbic system deep in the brain of the reader. The result is feelings of awe, joy, wonderment, curiosity, accomplishment and anticipation. The result is an emotional trip back to those times in one's own childhood when most of the time the world was a wonderful play ground and the only limitation to discovery was lack of imagination or unwillingness to apply imagination. The adult reader will wish to journey back to that untroubled time in his/her life and bring back compareable memories Dan has so warmly described.
   The cynics and naysayers today make a powerful argument that innocence is lost and childhood has become hostile. Our children today know more by age 12 than some of us knew by age 24. Dan Prusi presents a book that balances the inference that such a harsh commentary is bad. He hints that today's 12 year olds have the same child like enthusisam for discovery as did his parent's generation as did his generation. And he shares poignant memories so skillfully, the reader can be transported emotionally to the wonderment of childhood.



2. This was a great book, I could not put it down, I think everyone will enjoy this book. Such a close knit family. I couldn't put it down.



3. Anybody who's ever been a kid can find something to smile about in this lively memoir. The author's stories about growing up in a small town, surrounded by a loving family make for a lighthearted, thoughtful read. Prusi's vivid descriptions and fondly-recalled anecdotes give the reader a real sense of a time (the 1950s) and place (the Upper Peninsula of Michigan) that can feel pretty far removed from our hectic lives, and provide a reminder of the simple pleasures of childhood. Country Boy will help you see the world through a child's eyes again.



4. Here is a book that is sure to bring a smile to your face. It may even bring back some of your own childhood memories! The book relates the adventures of a 50's era country boy with his family members and friends. This is a fun read and I highly recommend it!



5. One of the things people think about, particularly at this time of the year, is what to get friends and family as a gift. Why not get them a good book. I like to think that any book that I�ve reviewed in this column might be a good book for somebody, but they might not be a good book for everyone. This week, however, I�m featuring a book that would be enjoyable by all the people on your gift list.
   This week�s book is Country Boy: Adventures of an Untroubled Childhood by Dan Prusi. People have been writing about their childhood for centuries. These books usually fall into two categories, troubled and untroubled childhoods. Lately, troubled childhood seems to be more popular, but that wasn�t always the case. People who read Prusi�s book might be reminded of any number of other novels and autobiographies on the same subject. Many people will recall Mark Twain writing about Tom Sawyer. Tom had many successors.
   How should one describe Prusi�s description of his childhood? It seems to me one can safely quote the publisher on this. They say, "Country Boy, Adventures from an Untroubled Childhood is a true story about the wonders of childhood and the love and companionship provided by a large closely knit family. Set in the iron mining area of rural Upper Michigan in the 1950�s and 1960�s, it is the story of a young�s boys adventures, misadventures and the role his family played in shaping his childhood and his entire life. From the boy�s first kiss to the shame of running afoul of the law at age ten, to the inventiveness of children trying to entertain themselves, it is the story that the average reader can both relate to, and delight in."
   In this book you get to know not only Dan Prusi, but his family and friends. From his parents and seven sisters to his cousins and other neighborhood chums. Although he only lived in Bellevue, which was a location about half way between Palmer and Negaunee, until he was thirteen years old, the memories has stayed with him since then. They are particularly important because Bellevue location no long exist. It was taken over by the Empire Mine who owned all of the land. The memories, though, remain as strong as ever.
   Prusi seems to have had a happy and loving childhood. Not everyone is as fortunate, but we all have pleasant memories of something. I think that reading this book will trigger fond memories in those who read it. For instance, in his Christmas chapter he mentions receiving one year a "book" of lifesaver rolls which he ate rather quickly. He didn�t eat lifesavers for a while after that. I remember those lifesaver books myself. I think I got one for Christmas myself, but hadn�t Thought of it in years. Other people will have other memories, I�m sure.
   After he left Bellevue he graduated from Negaunee High School in 1971. According to the publisher, "The father of three grown children, he now resides in Cedar Valley Township near Floodwood, Minnesota with Serilee, his wife of twenty-eight years. An avid outdoorsman and amateur naturalist, he lives on a Seventy-seven acre property that he manages for wildlife."
   This is his first published book. He tells me that there may be another one soon. I�m sure, when it comes, it will be interesting. Many people are told by their friends or relatives that they ought to write a book. Even though it sometimes seems that everyone is writing a book most people don�t ever get up the nerve to actually write one. Prusi did, and we all benefit from it. Even those who aren�t familiar about the life style he writes about will know people similar to those described in this book. This people will make happy to have read it, and that is no small accomplishment.
   Prusi thoughtfully includes some pictures from his family album so we can see what the people we have been reading about actually look like. I�m sure the people pictured never thought that they would end up as characters in Prusi�s reminiscences. I don�t think, though, that they would mind the kindly way he described them, or the pleasures their lives will give to other people.

   Andrew Grgurich � The Mining Journal, Marquette, Michigan

2 comments about Spirito Splendido.

1. Dee Schore has produced a delightful and magical tale of the joys of imagination and innocence. The child in this story is at once every child and no child ever known. I couldn't help but marvel at her resilience and coping skills as a child from a multi ethnic family from the heart of the melting pot that is America. How many times during my reading did I wish to reach out and pluck young Dee and make her my own?
   I highly recommend Spirito Slendido as a must read for anyone who has ever imagined or dreamed of princes or angels or anything beyond the confines of their mother's apron strings. I trust there will be more from Ms. Schore.
   Terence J. McManus
   Waxahachie, Texas



2. This is a book for a rainy afternoon. It takes you to a warm place that makes you want to curl up in your favorite spot with your favorite warm beverage and enjoy! The book doesn't always refer to the weather, but as you read you see the stories unfolding in a sunny setting.
   I enjoyed the author's use of regional dialects. It brings color to the character's that star in her childhood memories. I felt like I was in New York during WWII and I could almost smell the Pasta on the stove.
   Reading this book took me back to a time when I was a child and I loved listening to the adults talk. I found it to be like comfort food! It made me think of my parents and all the good food and conversation that made up my world when I was young.
   If you want a book that has Humor, surprise, and some bitter sweet memories, then this is a book for you to add to your collection. It is a book you will find yourself reading again and again just for the shear pleasure of losing yourself in MS.Schore's engaging family memories.

1 comments about My Father's Garden.

1. What a great book for these times. Whether you are in a step family or not this book is great reading and a wonderful gift. It is inspirational on several levels of depth. I couldn't put it down when I started it and then wanted to re-read it again.

   I'll definitely be giving copies as gifts for some time to come!

No comments about Over My Shoulder.

No comments about Growing Up Well: Tales from an Orphan's Asylum.

No comments about Is the War over: Memoir of a Child Survivor of the Holocaust.

No comments about OUTSIDE LOOKING IN: THE LONG JOURNEY.

No comments about Portland Passages.

No comments about Pa Pa, Where Are You?.