Hand Me Down My Walking Cane

by Carla Hagen

At the height of the Depression, Faunce Ridge, a tiny village on the Minnesota-Canadian border, is declared a rural slum by Roosevelt's New Deal government. Hometown boy Emil Rousseau is sent to photograph the poverty of his childhood neighbors to sell Congress on resettlement. Told from the perspective of Emil, his childhood sweetheart, Rose, madame Sadie and bootlegger Magnus, Hand Me Down My Walking Cane speaks to the mystical pull of this harsh and beautiful place while bringing to vivid life the history of the borderland.

Genres: Historical Fiction

262 pages, Paperback

First published September 1, 2011

Reviews

[Julie Schultz · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved this book almost as much as I love being in the northernmost places of MN. Loved how real the characters and the places came off the page.

[DeeJay Lavalla · Rating 5 out of 5]

What can I say? Maybe because my Dad and his 10 siblings grew up in Williams and I have always heard them talk about this place called Faunce, I found this book so GOOD. And maybe because it is filled with similarities to conditions I grew up with about 100 miles east of Williams, I am just not sure. And the ending—OMG it was refreshing.
I can’t wait to get my hands on the next book, “Muskeg”.
Wonderful author and I highly recommend. Especially to my relatives on Goodreads. I challenge all of you and then let’s talk and exchange our own memories.

[Ellen Paulseth · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It sets the stage well for her next book in the trilogy, Muskeg. I grew up in Lake of the Woods County, so it is possible that I connected well with this story on that account alone. However, the story is fascinating and could be enjoyed by anyone. It is a timeless tale of heartbreak and the human condition. The characters are well developed. The description of the environment is so detailed and realistic; you feel immersed in the story. Read this one and Muskeg. Then wait patiently for the next book from this promising author.

[Wendy Johansen · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a charming straightforward little book about FDR's Resettlement Administration in the 1930's, and its impact on people in northern Minnesota. The characters and settings were fully developed and interesting. Though touched upon and integral to the story, mental illness and same sex relationships were not the primary focus. The characters and events were. I want to travel north to see those bogs fir myself.

[Therese Busch · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow!!! This book was a real treat.
I learned about it in the book Minnesota’s Lost Towns: Northern Edition.
My parents used to have a cabin near Upper Red Lake, and my dad took me to explore the Faunce area a few times. I’ve climbed the Faunce Fire Tower.
I never knew someone had written a book that takes place there. I’m very glad I sought this out. Will be diving into Muskeg next!

[Terri · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book

[Katie B-K · Rating 3 out of 5]

I mean, this book was fine. It's not particularly well-written, and not all of the characters are worthy of the treatment given to them. I liked the concept and the history, but largely thought the most interesting part of the story--the Resettlement Administration and what it means to declare an area a rural slum or to be a person who lives in a place that has been declared such--was exceptionally underexplored. The whole plot involving Sadie and her dad was weird and I kept waiting for it to go away and be replaced by more stuff about Emil and/or Rose.

Would have given it 2.5 stars, am rounding up because it's a local author and I liked learning about Minnesota.

Minnesota Women Lawyers Book Club September 2012.

[Sherry · Rating 4 out of 5]

Set on the Minnesota side of the Rainy River, near Lake of the Woods, in 1936, this story takes place 14 years before and 100 miles away from my birthplace. The culture and environment were so familiar to me that I entered a world of memory and nostalgia as I read it, sometimes with a catch in my throat. I had been unaware of the Resettlement Act and its use in Minnesota, and that Volstead was a Minnesotan, who had tried to "drain the bog."
The place is the major character in this book, and I think someone who doesn't know northwestern Minnesota would still appreciate its particular and haunting beauty.

[Jessica Tornese · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hand Me Down My Walking Cane is a testament to real people, living real lives. Hard lives. In a generation gone, those memories of our ancestors still live within us, and Carla Hagen does an outstanding job bringing those feelings to the surface. Her research and in depth knowledge of Northern Minnesota is spot on, and the story is heart wrenching in its neverending trials. I love her characters so much, and my heart aches for the love story that unfolds.I congratulate Carla on her first novel; she is a wonderful story teller and I can't wait to see more.

[Chuck Laszewski · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ms. Hagen did a wonderful job of storytelling. Her characters were fully developed and her writing was clean, descriptive and propulsive. When Rose talks to Little Roy deep in the book and he reveals what happened in the final hours of her parents' lives, the scene is rendered with great power and emotion. I have no problem recommending this book and if Hagen writes another, I will purchase it immediately.

[Crystal-lee-m · Rating 4 out of 5]

A well told story that includes stories about bog lights that ring true to me based on what my folks -- who grew up in Lake of the Woods county -- have told me.
The beginning was just a little difficult for me to get into, but once I connected with the characters i couldn't stop reading until I was at the end.

[Beverly Bushyhead]

Interesting. Very nice first novel.

[Rhonda · Rating 2 out of 5]

Great research and setting, the setting is as much a character as the human ones, loved the history in it and the weaving of a place long past