Dark Bread and Dancing: The Diaries of Sue Rawson

by Rosemary Rawson

Sue was born when Teddy Roosevelt was President, raised in the brand new town of Pettibone in the North Dakota prairie. She honeymooned in the Black Hills of South Dakota when Mount Rushmore was just a mountain. She raised five children, three of them born during the Depression. She made music, she traveled, she taught. She knew about love and loss, about disappointment, delight and despair. Along the way she discovered that life can hold both meaning and purpose.

Sue lived one hundred years. Through much of it she recorded in ordinary spiral notebooks the minutia of her days and thoughts – the price of gas, what she thought of The Feminine Mystique and almost always what they had for supper. Her daughter Rosemary has distilled them down to a charming, personal, sometimes funny portrait of a life well lived. In many ways Sue’s life is unremarkable. In others it is the story of every woman who evolved through the amazing history of the Twentieth Century.

Genres: Biography

340 pages, Paperback

First published February 3, 2013

Reviews

[Polly Letofsky · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dark Bread & Dancing is about an ordinary woman who lived 100 years in what were known as ordinary times. But we now look back and know that they were the extraordinary times spread across the 20th century. Don't we all wish that our grandmas had left similar diaries so we had a good grip of where we came from and appreciate the shoulders we stand on today.

[Nicole M. Lilly Rawson · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was written by my husband Chad's step-grandmother Rosemary (his grandpa, John Rawson, was Rosemary's second husband) so I have a personal connection to the some of the people involved. This certainly enriched the experience of reading this book but it certainly wasn't necessary for the enjoyment of it.

I am one who loves and appreciates history. Through Rosemary's excellent writing and arrangement of what was likely a large and daunting amount of information, the story flowed well and offered a wonderful window into an "average" woman growing up and living in "flyover country" during the bulk of the 20th century. It made me wish I had known Sue personally and I almost feel like I did.

Sue was such a quietly strong and interesting personality. I deeply admire and envy her work ethic. Her way with words and command of language was beautiful and clearly inherited by her daughter Rosemary. We should all hope to have such amazing tales of adventure and travel that Sue experienced throughout her long life. And, as someone who adores food, I certainly appreciated her notations of the many meals she created and participated in. To taste of her dark bread would be a treat!

What a lovely account of a remarkable life! Proof that even unassuming people and places have some incredible tales to tell.

[Marjorie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Given To Me For An Honest Review

This book is a must read if you are wanting to find out about a families genealogy. It is written by diaries written by Sue from a young child until she is 100 yrs. old. It talks about her life when she married, when she had her children, her travels with her husband. The life that they lived. It gives facts that help you to live out the depression with them. This is a book that I highly recommend for all. A great history book to read. I just wish I could give more that 5 stars.

[Kathie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rosemary Rawson has done a remarkable job of using her mother Sue's journals and her own memories to capture Sue's inspiring 100-year life. A legacy of writing, travel, and music has been passed down from Sue to her family. A wonderful sharing of the ordinary and simple things, like dark bread and dancing and piano and chokecherry jelly, that make a life extraordinary. I loved Sue's daily routines that kept her active and alert for 100 years and am inspired to do the same.

[Morgan Dreiss · Rating 1 out of 5]

stopped caring

[Cchelles · Rating 4 out of 5]

overall it was pretty good. It was interesting to see how things changed.