Depression Kid: A memoir of growing up the hard way. In Wisconsin. During the '30's.

by Wallace J. Gordon

Depression A Memoir of Growing Up the Hard Way. in Wisconsin. During the '30's. Depression A Memoir of Growing Up the Hard Way. in Wisconsin. During the '30's.

Paperback

First published January 1, 2004

Reviews

[Stewart · Rating 3 out of 5]

“Depression Kid: A Memoir of Growing Up the Hard Way. In Wisconsin. During the ’30’s” by Wallace J. Gordon is a rewarding look back at his growing up in small towns and farms in western Wisconsin during the 1930s and early 1940s. Having grown up in the Upper Midwest myself, in the 1950s and 1960s, I was induced to read this book, published in 2003.
Almost every life story of anyone who amounted to anything contains a few paragraphs about the magic of libraries and how reading expanded horizons and propelled people to success. Gordon’s book is no exception. He writes about the thrill of getting a library card at the Eau Claire Public Library and immediately bringing home an armful of books.
Gordon takes readers through the joys and travails of life at Eau Claire Memorial High School 1938-1942. He was in the band, as I was, playing the trumpet – quite well because he and the band won several district tournament awards.
“The band was run by Mr. Donald Boyd, a local legend in teaching circles, Gordon writes. “He was called ‘Sarge’ because he ran a very tight ship; he called the signals and you obeyed them. Or else you transferred to the girls knitting club or something equally far from his band and orchestra classes. He was tough, but he was fair, and he gave you every opportunity to turn yourself into a good musician.” Boyd served on the school’s faculty from 1929 to 1963.
Gordon writes a couple of pages about his May 1941 junior prom, which was his first date. He didn’t have a suit and had to procure one at the last minute. He and his date found nothing to talk about after the first dance. Later, they and another couple drove to a fancy restaurant in Eau Claire. The other couple ordered pasta, Gordon a small steak – and he worried his date would order lobster or a huge steak, and he wouldn’t be able to pay for it. However, she told the waiter she wanted a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. (She: “I love peanut butter and jelly sandwiches … They’re sort of my celebration special.” He: “I thought I would die.”)
Depending on when they were born, Americans will remember some historic dates or dates in their lives: Nov. 11, 1918; Dec. 7, 1941; Nov. 22, 1963, Jan. 26, 1986; or Sept. 11, 2001. Gordon remembered the attack on Pearl Harbor vividly, even 60 years after his senior year: “It was a snowy Sunday afternoon and we were having a Jan Dennis [dance band] practice session at Roy’s house. We were all in the living room, wrestling with a tough chorus of Duke Ellington’s ‘Take the “A” Train’ when Roy’s mother rushed into the room.
“‘Hold it, you guys!’ she yelled, turning on the radio. ‘Pearl Harbor’s been bombed by the Japs!’”
After graduating from high school, Gordon was drafted. He took a bus trip to the Induction Center in Milwaukee on March 16, 1943, and reported for active duty in the U.S. Army a week later. But that’s another tale and another book, namely “Soldier.”
Gordon was 79 when he self-published this book. He was not a professional writer, although he wrote ads and commercials for 40 years. So I was pleased that the writing was good, the memories vivid, and the book filled with colorful and detailed events and people, more than I might have supposed when I began reading it.