Nowhere like This Place: Tales from a Nuclear Childhood

by Marilyn Carr

Marilyn Carr’s family arrived in Deep River, Ontario in 1960 because her dad got a job at a mysterious place called “the plant.” The quirky, isolated, residence for the employees of Chalk River Nuclear Laboratories was impeccably designed by a guy named John Bland. It’s a test-tube baby of a town that sprang, fully formed, from the bush north of Algonquin Park, on the shore of the Ottawa river. Everything has already been decided, including the colours of the houses, inside and out. What could possibly go wrong?

Nowhere like This Place is a coming-of-age memoir set against the backdrop of the weirdness of an enclave with more PhDs per capita than anywhere else on earth. It’s steeped in thinly veiled sexism and the searing angst of an artsy child trapped in a terrarium full of white-bread nuclear scientists and their nuclear families. Everything happens, and nothing happens, and it all works out in the end. Maybe.

232 pages, Paperback

First published November 3, 2020

About the author

Marilyn Carr’s resume is mostly distinguished by too many hours spent in frequent flyer lounges. She is astonished that, as a management consultant and software industry analyst, people actually believed what she said. She has authored hundreds of pieces of business writing, including eBooks for software giants like Microsoft, Oracle, and SAP, which have been downloaded many thousands of times, even though none of them is very funny. As a keynote speaker, she has entertained and enlightened audiences at international conferences on topics like how to avoid fatal accidents on the information highway and how to become a software billionaire (hint: start with at least two billion). Marilyn is a class of 2020 MFA graduate from the University of King’s College, her third master’s degree, but who's counting? (She is.) She blogs about the absurdness of everyday life at www.marilyncarr.com, The second installment of her memoirs, How I Invented the Internet, was published in September 2022, and she is currently working on her next nonfiction book, If It’s Shreveport, it must be Tuesday.

Reviews

[Nancy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I admit, the cover drew my attention, especially the subtitle Tales from a Nuclear Childhood. I enjoy memoirs, and not just those written by the famous, or media darlings, or politicians. Because ordinary people can have interesting lives, too.
In Nowhere Like This Place, Marilyn Carr reminisces on her childhood growing up in a planned Ontario neighborhood where everyone's dad worked at the nuclear reactor plant, known as 'the plant,' although Carr at first thought her dad spent the entire day riding the bus that he took to work.

With ironic humor, Carr recalls growing up as I did, in a world filled with unrecognized threats.

Asbestos floor tiles that needed constant waxing and asbestos clay projects in school. Baby car seats with a horn that did nothing to protect the baby. Kids at the beach without lifeguards. Biking all day in bear country, eating wild berries and drinking from the river. Lead paint and eating glue. And snow boots that neither protected from the cold or offered traction on the ice.

She recalls the awful 1960s cuisine of Tang and oleo-margerine, girls puzzling on how to wear snow pants with a skirt or garter belts with a mini-skirt, and the eternal problem of missing Barbie doll shoes.

It was a world of risk to be a kid back then.

First jobs, hobbies she dreamt would lead to a career, girlfriends and learning about boys--all the normal things girls go through--are recalled.

This was a joy to read, funny and warm, entertaining and nostalgic. There are no deep insights, no overcoming of neglect or abuse. Sometimes it is good to just sit back and enjoy someone's journey.

I was given a free galley from the publisher through NetGalley. My review is fair and unbiased.

[Julie Helleur · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a delightful read and capture of the essence of the very special town of Deep River, Ontario in the 1950’s,60’s and 70’s. Marilyn ably paints pictures of the geography, demography and society of the town during this period of expansion.

[Helen · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a fun nostalgic trip down memory lane. So many long forgotten memories were revised from my childhood. The author, Marilyn Carr, has written a memoir of her grammar school years through early college. Her wonderful sense of humor and writing skills are evident. She had an unusual community life due to her father’s occupation but her growing up years were very typical of what we all experienced in the 60’s and 70’s. Since I was a girl at that time, I was able to appreciate all her memories. I think the younger generations will also like this time review.

[Jen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I went into this book totally blind, choosing it based on the cover. I'm so glad I did! Carr's writing is sharp, interesting, and smart. I did not know that this was a memoir and initially was turning pages waiting for the plot to thicken. It doesn't thicken, but it simmers in such an enjoyable way that I felt I knew my way around this nuclear town that she's described so well. I found her so relatable, and I would challenge any reader to not see themselves and their own experiences within these pages.

[Deborah Dixon · Rating 5 out of 5]

I waited for this book for so long. I admit that it appeals to a select audience and Marilyn wrote it with that in mind. She nailed it!
I’m also a very very select member of this select audience because I had the privilege of reminiscing with Marilyn over a few glasses of wine about growing up in “No place Like Here”. I was brought back to Deep River with Marilyn’s memory and wit. I couldn’t stop laughing.
I wish that I had Marilyn’s way with words just to write this review. My lack of eloquence only increases my admiration for Marilyn’s talent.

[Ben · Rating 5 out of 5]

A delightful trip back in time to a town that never seems to change too much. Despite growing up decades after the author, my own childhood experiences in Deep River weren't too different, and I felt the pleasant warmth of nostalgia as she mentioned places and situations that I remembered and could relate to. A lovely read!

[Chantelle S · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm from Deep River. I really enjoyed the perspective from someone who grew up in my beloved hometown during its heyday, so to speak. So much of Marilyn's experiences were echoed in my own childhood and adolescence. It was such a pleasant surprise to see eloquent writing from a woman I had feel I had met before, yet never knew. After reading the book, I felt that perhaps I knew her better than I thought since, as they say, "the more things change, the more they stay the same". Thanks for the read, Marilyn!

[Ruth Dixon · Rating 5 out of 5]

A "Coming of Age" book, not like any other. How could life be normal in a town that wasn't? Carr manages to make you feel like you are there with her, wending her way through a "manufactured" town, where much like Alice through the Looking Glass, nothing is quite as it seems. She even meets up with Tweedledum and Tweedledee. Carr's comfort with words is obvious as she helps us laugh along with her descriptions of a childhood and adolescence that we can all sort of relate to, even those who didn't grew up in the nuclear shadow of a town like no other. A funny and thoroughly enjoyable read.

[SundayAtDusk · Rating 3 out of 5]

This memoir starts off like so many other contemporary memoirs, with lots of descriptions of places and things. Like some of those memoirs, that never ends, either. In other words, this isn’t the type of story where the reader gets to know the author very well, but instead gets to know what the author experienced as a child, gets to know what the author’s home and town or city were like. It’s more like an educational view of life back then with little gut feelings. Not a totally bad thing, mind you. Those who can identify with Marilyn Carr's life or generation may find the memoir engrossing.

As a member of her generation, I certainly came across things I could recognize and reminisce about—music, foods, school, watching the '60s as a young bystander, etc. I simply couldn’t get pulled totally into the story, however. Descriptions and details can get tiresome. I did really like the last paragraph, though. No, not because it was the end of the book, but because it did capture the intense feelings of the teenaged years when you are so living for the moment, yet are so thinking about the future.

(Note: I received a free e-ARC of this book from NetGalley and the publisher or author.)

[Lissa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Marilyn Carr has written a funny, relatable memoir of her 1960s childhood in Deep River. Initially, I picked it up for my mother, who spent her first decade or so living in the town. It sat, tempting me on my desk, until I picked it up with little expectation beyond getting to know my mother's hometown. Instead, I found myself charmed by Marilyn's memories, entertained by her witty observations of 1960's child-rearing practices, and newly knowledgeable about everything from nuclear power to the draconian high school dress codes of the time. To my utter surprise, the memoir about a small town I'd only ever heard of, in a decade I wasn't alive in, of a person I'd never met, reminded me of my own early life. It could be that not much was different between far-north Ontario in the 60's and suburban Mississauga in the 70's. However, I think it is because Marilyn so aptly captures the feelings and experiences of early childhood to early adulthood that a reader can't help but relate. The book was a thoroughly enjoyable, quick read that has some real depth lurking below its breezy tone (which you will understand if you also experienced the not-so-benign neglect of the era).

[(a)lyss(a) · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received a copy of this book through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Marilyn Carr writes about her childhood growing up near a nuclear plant and growing up in the 60s.

It's an interesting look at a very specific time and place of Americana. We get a feel for Carr's small town that's full of scientists along with her experiences like sneaking pants to wear to school and not actually knowing what her dads job was as a child. It also highlights how gendered things were in this time and place.

While the concept is interesting and there are some interesting anecdotes this story wasn't super interesting to me. With the exception of the focus on the nuclear plant early on Carr's childhood was similar to many white Americans throughout the country. There's some interesting information on some spies and bra burning but this read wasn't exactly what I expected.

[RuthMcFarlane · Rating 5 out of 5]

I cannot say ENOUGH positives about this amazing book. The second I picked it up I began to giggle and dread finishing it for the joy it has brought me. I too grew up in this VERY unique place --- spent my formative years here from '64 and on (when I turned 10 we moved here). It's everything Marilyn says it is AND MORE. fyi Marilyn, I lived on the west side of town (using Deep River Road as the divider) and was convinced that only the rich people lived on your side of town :) We too had NO CLUE what our fathers did at work and memories of the buses picking them up and dropping them off are HUGE. Anyway ---- I will never be able to praise your writing enough. What a gift you have give those of us who grew up here. THANKS !!!

[Tamara Ulisko · Rating 5 out of 5]

This memoir of a “nuclear childhood” is a fun take on the 60s and 70s, thanks to Carr’s irreverent wit. My own childhood in Deep River postdated Carr’s by a decade-and-a-half, but her book is a time capsule of such vivid & wide-ranging detail that it drew many of my own memories to the surface (my memory tends to function like a sieve; Carr’s is a steel trap).
Looking back, growing up in Deep River could seem as boring as growing up in any other small town, to the teenage mind - and it took some years/experience elsewhere to truly appreciate that there is “nowhere like this place”.
Thank you, Marilyn, for encapsulating our home town in all its exceptional (and dubious!) glory :)

[Annette Gauthier · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very entertaining book about growing up in a unique small town. I laughed out loud at some of the memories - I have never heard of other towns where the parents let you ride your bikes into the DDT fogging truck effluent (and these were educated scientist parents) or where the fashion norm during black fly season was a truncated nylon stocking cap (which seemed not the least strange to the neighbourhood kids). We enjoyed a childhood freedom which is cherished to this day. Excellent entertaining read.

[Olivia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Both my parents were born and raised in Deep River during the 50s and 60s, and my paternal grandmother remained there until she passed away in 2014. This book gave such great glimpses into some of the idiosyncrasies of the town. When I was a kid in the 80s, I LOVED visiting DR, playing at the rocket ship play structure, going to Lamure Beach, and getting ice cream at the dairy. This book wasn’t my childhood, but it brought back great memories for me and reignited some of the memories my parents shared with me. Thanks to Marilyn Carr for sharing her stories.

[Nic Shaw · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fun, amusing memoir very well written. I loved reading about the antics of the author and her friends in an environment that seems much freer than the more regimented childhoods of today. In fact, I couldn’t believe some of the things she was able to do, and some of things she dared to do – it was hilarious reading!! It also evoked some memories I had forgotten about of my own childhood in that era…..
A thoroughly enjoyable book!

[Judy Millar · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great comic writing and great presentation. Underlying themes grow as you go. All in all a well-written, entertaining and thought-provoking resurrection of an unusual and specific time and place most readers will nevertheless recognize. Carr gift of recall and control of comic narrative and language are exemplary. Good, meaty fun.

[Sheila Burns · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a fun read with a backdrop of the nuclear age. Vignettes take you into Ontario's backwoods and a unique small-town in the 60s as seen through eyes of young Marilyn. But for the PhD:average-citizen ratio and nuclear glow, you'll find familiar characters - warm, wise and wizen - and tales that make you wonder "what were we thinking?'.

[Deborah Kershaw · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved reading Marilyn’s account of her childhood growing up. It was such a treat to have a glimpse into a ‘nuclear’ childhood in a town that has garnered much curiosity over the years. Marilyn’s humor, writing style, and unique description of every day events brought a smile to my face with every page turn.

[Patricia Belvedere · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. An easy entertaining read. It brought back a lot of memories because I also grew up in Deep River. However you don’t have to have grown up there to enjoy it. It recalls growing up in the 1960s without helicopter parenting and the simple outdoor pursuits of that time. It was a childhood that most parents now would want for their children!

[Sue Nador · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love Marilyn’s humour! She has done a fabulous job recreating what it was like growing up in the 60s and 70s. Although I didn’t grow up in Deep River, there were dozens of references that unlocked my own memories of growing up around the same time. From Howick jeans to Brador beer; from Tiger Beat to shorthand class. Fun and nostalgic...it actually made me miss high school!

[Elizabeth Morrison · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely delightful! I worked for Ontario Hydro for 31 years and I spent a summer training for a job while living in Deep River in 1980. I was familiar with many of the places that she talks about but it was only for a summer and I travelled back to Toronto on weekends. The author and I are very close in age so I felt very connected.

[Hannah · Rating 2 out of 5]

Essentially a series of stories of growing up in the 60s/70s. Brief interludes about Deep River and the Ottawa Valley at large. Skimming was involved. Considering I like and have always liked living in the Ottawa Valley, I wants crazy about the clear aversion she has for here. I’ll recommend my dad though.

[Cathy Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. I grew up in this town and the authors writing really brought back many lost memories. Her writing is very descriptive. The humour woven throughout the book was wonderful. I’m a product of the 60s and this town so I could really relate.

[Gary McGugan · Rating 5 out of 5]

A delightful read, recounting Marilyn Carr's recollections growing up in the small nuclear town of Deep River in Ontario! I recommend this book with enthusiasm. Great writing, subtle humor, and a unique perspective all contribute to a thoroughly entertaining story from cover to cover!

[Linda Lamoureux · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved the stories. Brought back so many memories. Marilyn is a very talented writer (actress, cheerleader, figure skater, etc. Lol)

[Karen Wirth · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this book. Anyone grew up in Deep River will find their neighborhood.

[Lori Stinson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Enjoyed Marilyn’s dry sense of humour. So many of her memories are also mine.

[Christa Matthews · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is laugh-out-loud funny and so evocative of a specific time and place. She captures what growing up in Deep River was like with light hearted nostalgia. Devoured it in one sitting.

[Karen Bancroft · Rating 5 out of 5]

I don't usually post about books that I have read (I tend to just "lurk" and follow others recommendations) but I must speak up and give a huge shout out to this book - love it!

The book, written by a first time author, is a memoir of growing up in a small town and very unique town. The themes, however, are universal - the angst of not quite fitting in, the joy and comfort of good friends, the relationships between parents and siblings, the energy and optimism of youth...

The descriptions of people and places were excellent and painted a clear picture of the author's world. The book was often "laugh out loud funny" (I don't usually laugh out loud!) but also poignant and touching when describing the angst that all of us experienced growing up and coming to terms with ourselves.

I highly recommend this excellent book and look forward to the author's future work.