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The Growing Seasons: An American Boyhood Before the War
A Princeton University professor and Marine Corps veteran recounts his Great Depression-era boyhood, during which he accompanied his father to numerous cities and farms in search of work, lost his mother and gained a stepmother, and experienced the temptations of pre-war adolescence. Reprint. 35,000 first printing.
304 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2003
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78 people want to read
About the author
Samuel Hynes
58 books12 followersA scholar and literary critic, Samuel Lynn Hynes Jr. attended the University of Minnesota before serving in the United States Marines as a torpedo bomber pilot during the Second World War. After completing his degree at the University of Minnesota, he earned his masters and doctorate degrees from Columbia University. Hynes taught at Swarthmore College from 1949 until 1968, Northwestern University from 1968 until 1976, and Princeton University from 1976 until his retirement as Woodrow Wilson professor of literature emeritus in 1990.
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Displaying 1 - 24 of 24 reviews
March 13, 2014
This was an entertaining book. Not only is it a coming of age story of an American boy in the years before World War II, but it is also an example of a well-written reflection. Things were very different in those days. Kids were given a lot of freedom to roam but they were also expected to do chores.
My favorite part was when he and his brother were dropped off to work at a farm way out in the remote Minnesota countryside. They didn't even know the couple that they were spend an entire working and living with.
Now I want to read some of Samuel Hynes' books.
My favorite part was when he and his brother were dropped off to work at a farm way out in the remote Minnesota countryside. They didn't even know the couple that they were spend an entire working and living with.
Now I want to read some of Samuel Hynes' books.
March 3, 2012
I was hooked from line one of this book. Hynes' simple and direct style of writing quickly whisks you back 70-plus years and tells you -shows you - how it was. And it wasn't easy for Sam Hynes either, orphaned at an early age and moving from place to place, being farmed out and coping with a step-mother. But in spite of all this, you also get a sense of the fun of being a boy in the midwest during the depression. Kids don't always know when they're poor; they're too busy learning and experiencing things and trying to get the most out of every day. The sequel to The Growing Seasons is equally good: Flights of Passage. I wish Sam would continue his personal story and tell us what happened after he came home from the war. I do know from talking with him that he was back in the Marines during Korea. There's gotta be another great story in there somewhere. If you're from the midwest and love good storytelling, read this book. Hell, you don't have to be midwestern. It's just darn good writing.
November 27, 2016
Lovely writing.
This is Samuel Hynes's memoir about growing up during the Depression and coming of age in time for the WWII draft. It's one man's attempt to describe that country from which each of us comes as its only citizen: the world in which we grew up. He was born in 1924 and lost his mother at the age of five. He recounts his childhood without a lot of emotion; he's trying to give you as clear a picture as possible of the country where he grew up.
The book was published in 2003, by which time the landscape he grew up in had become as remote as the moon. The details he gives brought a heft to my sense of the the America of the Depression and WWII. It's like looking at an excruciatingly detailed diorama that you can only see through a pane of unbreakable glass.
The absence of nostalgia and Hynes' effort to tell about that time and place before all memory is gone is where the book gets its power. It's not a page-turner, but it gives you a sense of the time that stays with you.
This is Samuel Hynes's memoir about growing up during the Depression and coming of age in time for the WWII draft. It's one man's attempt to describe that country from which each of us comes as its only citizen: the world in which we grew up. He was born in 1924 and lost his mother at the age of five. He recounts his childhood without a lot of emotion; he's trying to give you as clear a picture as possible of the country where he grew up.
The book was published in 2003, by which time the landscape he grew up in had become as remote as the moon. The details he gives brought a heft to my sense of the the America of the Depression and WWII. It's like looking at an excruciatingly detailed diorama that you can only see through a pane of unbreakable glass.
The absence of nostalgia and Hynes' effort to tell about that time and place before all memory is gone is where the book gets its power. It's not a page-turner, but it gives you a sense of the time that stays with you.
September 28, 2023
This small memoir is deceptively powerful. Hynes writes about his boyhood growing up during the Depression, the loss of his mother, his relationship with his siblings, his fathers marriage to a second wife, and up to high school graduation to the opening of World War II. His writing is simple and direct which adds up to an effective memoir. He knows just when to end the story at a moment of great significance, where he ends his boyhood and steps into the great unknown of being a soldier in World War II.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 19, 2023
Hynes graduated from high school in June 1941, in an America already consumed by the war in Europe. His would be the generation that took on the challenge of saving the world. But that story is saved for another book; The Growing Seasons brings the reader through the late 1920s and the Depression.
Hynes lost his mother when he was young, and traveled with his father and older brother as his dad sought work. Eventually, his father - a stoic, of sorts, unwilling or unable to stoop to the off-color humor of the general class of men who surrounded him - remarried, to a woman who young Samuel never fully grew to love. Life settled down in Minnesota, with older stepsiblings, all the pranks and foibles of boyhood, and eventually even the temptations of the opposite sex.
Hynes' book has an overall sadness to it, of never having enough, of never fully achieving boyhood dreams. He lived in a time of forced frugality, when folks either "made do" or were constantly frustrated over the lack of, well, just about everything. It's specifically a boy's tale, in many ways, a truly moving memoir of simpler times that were, in fact, quite difficult to live in.
As I wandered through Hynes' well-written early life story, I drew parallels to my own, yet saw many lines that never met, not even out over the horizon. For the first time in my life, I've now read about someone who skipped a grade in school as I did; although he graduated in 1941, he was too young to go off and fight immediately, as he was 16. I graduated two months after my 17th birthday. He talks of always being a step behind, socially. I was there.
But, growing up on a peninsula jutting into Boston Harbor, I don't think I can quite fathom what life in farm country is, or was, like. My grandfather had a garden, one that we thought was enormous as kids, but it would have been just that - a kitchen garden - on the farms on which Samuel spent a summer or two as his dad tried to raise money for the family. And he moved from there into the heart of a city. My life has been strictly suburban.
I, too, lost a parent early, but not to death: to divorce. I know what it's like to live with one and not the other. The only difference is that when I was of age and out of the range of court-ordered visitation restrictions, I got mine back. Poor Samuel never did. And he's right, stepmoms and stepdads never fill the void.
To me, the most unfathomable aspect of Sam Hynes' young life was watching his classmates leave for and temporarily return from military life. I just cannot imagine seeing my friends walk off to war knowing that some, many, most would never come back. I suppose that if I grew up in that age, I, too, would have followed Samuel's path into the military. But modern perceptions of war are altered greatly from those of the past, and service in uniform represents a lack of freedom to many who would today be giving up their bountiful, materialistic existences, rather than gaining the tools of survival as they did in the Depression. Back then a roof and three squares a day beat not having a job and forever wondering where the next bit of food would come from.
Hynes lost his mother when he was young, and traveled with his father and older brother as his dad sought work. Eventually, his father - a stoic, of sorts, unwilling or unable to stoop to the off-color humor of the general class of men who surrounded him - remarried, to a woman who young Samuel never fully grew to love. Life settled down in Minnesota, with older stepsiblings, all the pranks and foibles of boyhood, and eventually even the temptations of the opposite sex.
Hynes' book has an overall sadness to it, of never having enough, of never fully achieving boyhood dreams. He lived in a time of forced frugality, when folks either "made do" or were constantly frustrated over the lack of, well, just about everything. It's specifically a boy's tale, in many ways, a truly moving memoir of simpler times that were, in fact, quite difficult to live in.
As I wandered through Hynes' well-written early life story, I drew parallels to my own, yet saw many lines that never met, not even out over the horizon. For the first time in my life, I've now read about someone who skipped a grade in school as I did; although he graduated in 1941, he was too young to go off and fight immediately, as he was 16. I graduated two months after my 17th birthday. He talks of always being a step behind, socially. I was there.
But, growing up on a peninsula jutting into Boston Harbor, I don't think I can quite fathom what life in farm country is, or was, like. My grandfather had a garden, one that we thought was enormous as kids, but it would have been just that - a kitchen garden - on the farms on which Samuel spent a summer or two as his dad tried to raise money for the family. And he moved from there into the heart of a city. My life has been strictly suburban.
I, too, lost a parent early, but not to death: to divorce. I know what it's like to live with one and not the other. The only difference is that when I was of age and out of the range of court-ordered visitation restrictions, I got mine back. Poor Samuel never did. And he's right, stepmoms and stepdads never fill the void.
To me, the most unfathomable aspect of Sam Hynes' young life was watching his classmates leave for and temporarily return from military life. I just cannot imagine seeing my friends walk off to war knowing that some, many, most would never come back. I suppose that if I grew up in that age, I, too, would have followed Samuel's path into the military. But modern perceptions of war are altered greatly from those of the past, and service in uniform represents a lack of freedom to many who would today be giving up their bountiful, materialistic existences, rather than gaining the tools of survival as they did in the Depression. Back then a roof and three squares a day beat not having a job and forever wondering where the next bit of food would come from.
January 1, 2020
I found the first chapters of this book interesting, because he spent a boyhood summer on a working farm and I enjoyed the farming references. They brought back memories of my mother's parent's farm and filled in the blanks for me, since I didn't get to spend that much time with them. After he leaves the farm and goes back to his family, I lost interest in his chronicle. I did, however, discover a lot about the author after reading the book, by looking him up on WikiPedia. He was an accomplished academic at Princeton and was highly regarded. Interestingly, he had only just died -- at 95, of congestive heart failure -- when I read this.
June 25, 2020
I wish I could give this book 3 and a half stars but that doesn’t seem to be an option on Goodreads.
This was an interesting historical depiction of life as told by a youth growing up during the Great Depression and leading us all the way into World War II.
There was not much of a plot in this book. It was more like reading someone else’s diary but, I found it interesting and entertaining because I enjoy reading about history.
The book was quick and easy so I would certainly recommend it for anyone with an interest in history, especially this particular time period.
This was an interesting historical depiction of life as told by a youth growing up during the Great Depression and leading us all the way into World War II.
There was not much of a plot in this book. It was more like reading someone else’s diary but, I found it interesting and entertaining because I enjoy reading about history.
The book was quick and easy so I would certainly recommend it for anyone with an interest in history, especially this particular time period.
October 4, 2020
An interesting look at the time before WW2 in the American mid-west. I understand the appeal of a mythic past, but this book clearly shows that it was an unstable time threatened by break-down and stagnation. Hynes is clear eyed about the reality of his elders being significantly different from his own, particularly his father's and his step-mothers, but ultimately I wanted more of his thoughts about society at that time. This is a memoir of one man's experience, of course, so maybe that wasn't the point.
December 17, 2020
Great coming of age tale written with beautiful realism. Reminded me of A Christmas Story and other tales set in the Midwest.
September 8, 2010
This is the book I wish my grandfather had written. I picked it up after noting some biographical similarities the author shared with him: born nearly the same year (thus the depression loomed over their childhoods), childhood in Minneapolis (St Paul in my grandfather's case), mother died young, and finally off to fly in WWII. There is little plot; just vignettes of his childhood from his earliest memories to the moment he is off to war. Some are big moments, such as a car accident in high school, but most are small, such as getting caught stealing from the toy store. This focus on the small is a strength of this book, and it shows you how hard it is to do. My grandfather was a great storyteller, and shared with me some poignant moments of growing up, but relating some things take real reflection, research and possibly courage - and, in the end, are just as valuable to the listener: what did you think of your stepmother? your siblings? what was your house like and what did you have for dinner? what did you do for fun, in the summer and in the winter? what happened in the news that affected your life? what made you proud as a child? scared? what were the (de-)merits of your friends? how did it go with the girls? how did your father influence you? why did you take that first job? what did you do that was stupid?
Hynes is careful to tell the stories of these questions in his own mischievous-but-reflective voice, rather than a psychotherapeutic voice. He seems a bit awed that this haphazard childhood produced the seed of the life that could later reflect on it (he became a literary critic at Princeton) - but it is an awe of tone rather than word, as he is careful never to step out of chronology, rarely mentioning his life after Minneapolis and never his career. I came to share that awe as a parent in 2010 - the freedom he had, even as a young child, is never to return for children. By taking it away, we lessen the risks of childhood, and, as Hynes subtly reminds us, the joys as well.
As a resident of south Minneapolis, I also enjoyed the geography of his story. You can still drive by the house that is the centerpiece for much of the story, and see other places and corners he mentions. Of course many are gone - Nicollet ball park, the trolleys, Central High School - but that only enhances the value of his published memories about them.
Hynes is careful to tell the stories of these questions in his own mischievous-but-reflective voice, rather than a psychotherapeutic voice. He seems a bit awed that this haphazard childhood produced the seed of the life that could later reflect on it (he became a literary critic at Princeton) - but it is an awe of tone rather than word, as he is careful never to step out of chronology, rarely mentioning his life after Minneapolis and never his career. I came to share that awe as a parent in 2010 - the freedom he had, even as a young child, is never to return for children. By taking it away, we lessen the risks of childhood, and, as Hynes subtly reminds us, the joys as well.
As a resident of south Minneapolis, I also enjoyed the geography of his story. You can still drive by the house that is the centerpiece for much of the story, and see other places and corners he mentions. Of course many are gone - Nicollet ball park, the trolleys, Central High School - but that only enhances the value of his published memories about them.
September 16, 2015
Hynes, Samuel. The Growing Seasons
I’ve never visited Minneapolis, but Hynes gives me the feel of the city in this book. The cruel winters, the fog, the distance from the sea, the poverty of the Depression and above all the stoicism of those who endured strikes, hunger and the threat of war put me in the place of young Sam, cycling miles to deliver checks and ultimately finding release into the armed forces. This is a wonderfully eloquent story of growing up, of finding out by hints, speculation and gossip about the realities of the adult world.
The portraits of his father and stepmother are sympathetic and yet unsparing. His dad is a reticent but proud Presbyterian who hates Roman Catholics, yet his stepmother is one of the Pope’s daughters who surrounds the boy with texts and homely advice. Sam learns to respect them both and even manages to kiss his ‘mother’ by the end of the book. Sam is, however, far from being a model son, yet his thefts and trespasses remain unpunished and indeed a cause for quiet boasting.
The book is full of small anecdotes about classmates and teachers, seen critically by the boy but leavened with humour and amazement at adult eccentricity. The boy’s growing into adolescence is especially poignant as he compares his amorous yearnings with the seeming success of his schoolmates. He discovers from movies that ‘love has plots, scenes and stories’ usually with happy endings, while his own stories are forever indeterminate.
For all that Hynes gives the reader a thrilling story, honestly and excitingly told.
June 25, 2012
I picked this book up because my Dad was born in 1927. He died in 1995 and I never learned much about his everyday life or the the people he knew. This is a midwestern book and Dad grew up in Michigan so I see a lot of cultural similarities. Compared to my own boyhood years (I'm 55 this year), life and times hadn't changed too much, except that I had a lot more stuff than he probably did.
The author knows how to take the reader down the streets of Minneapolis and the lanes of the country. His treatment of his awakening to the world of women is tasteful, humorous, and so real that I will likely read (parts of) it to my wife.
The books ends with his enlistment as a Marine aviator as WWII broke out. My own father tried once to enlist in the Marines, but was underage. The second time he was successful.
Now I'll have to read his Flights of Passage.
The author knows how to take the reader down the streets of Minneapolis and the lanes of the country. His treatment of his awakening to the world of women is tasteful, humorous, and so real that I will likely read (parts of) it to my wife.
The books ends with his enlistment as a Marine aviator as WWII broke out. My own father tried once to enlist in the Marines, but was underage. The second time he was successful.
Now I'll have to read his Flights of Passage.
May 6, 2009
If you live in Minnesota, grew up in Minnesota (Iowa, Wisconsin, North Dakota, South Dakota), if you are old enough to get senior discounts, "The Growing Seasons," might be made required reading. If you live somewhere else, "The Growing Seasons," is recommended reading. Samuel Hynes crafts tickling nostalgia, he recreates history from an enviable memory. He writes sparingly, beautifully. Just a wonderful volume.
January 29, 2011
It was a very comforting book, describing life in a time much less complex than our own. I could compare it to eating meatloaf and mashed potatoes. It became less comfortable when WWII arrived with Pearl Harbor forcing the US into the war, and also meant that some of the idyllic memories of the author were shattered by deaths of boyhood friends. SHynes has a nice writing style, very straightforward, easy to read.
August 5, 2016
Took me a long time to finish reading this, but because of the time it took me, I think I gained an increasingly better appreciation of Hynes' writing and voice. He very earnestly outlines what life was like before World War II in a modest Minnesota home, and the reader observes up close, almost in an anthropologic way, the most typical vestiges of an American coming-of-age story.
March 29, 2015
I enjoyed this book a great deal. The places and incidents were familiar. The style of writing was clean, concise and descriptive. The family members and friends were similar to people I know. This was consistent with my perception of a memoir, unlike the last 2 memoirs I have read. I would recommend it.
March 4, 2018
I read John Gregory Dunne's review of this book in 03 and determined then that I'd someday read it.
I agree with Dunne's evaluation: "This is a brilliant book."
http://www.nybooks.com/articles/16171
I'll reread it again, I'm sure, someday.
I agree with Dunne's evaluation: "This is a brilliant book."
http://www.nybooks.com/articles/16171
I'll reread it again, I'm sure, someday.
June 3, 2012
I was a little surprised that the 30's didn't seem a whole lot different than the 80's. Being set in familiar areas of Minneapolis I think I connected with this one more than if it had been somewhere else.
August 24, 2010
Clear, solid, intelligent, very touching in an understated Midwest way. Went on to be a great scholar.
May 1, 2013
A superb memoir of a boy's life in the 30's. Brilliant use of metaphor appropriate to the tone of the work.
June 6, 2013
Met the author at our monthly book group meeting at Ray Archezewiski's house
June 5, 2018
Three and one-half stars. This is a good, straightforward memoir, but not nearly as good as A World Lost and So Long, See You Tomorrow.
March 30, 2016
I loved this book. A nice picture of another time, and coming of age story.
June 27, 2012
One of the best memoirs I've ever read.
Displaying 1 - 24 of 24 reviews