Book excerpt: Life in the poverty of the Great Depression prior to World War II was a serious time, which today's generation can only imagine and could not endure. However, I have used the short story format, humor, and a sixth-grade vocabulary in many stories to encourage reading for ages twelve to ninety. The names of my boyhood pals represent many of my childhood pals, and stories are based on real events. My sketches and photos help set the scene for each short story, which stands alone but is more or less in order of events and seasons. The sketches also signify that I qualify as a starving artist. The twenty-five percent unemployment in our community led to many people living on the edge of starvation. Families lived in houses without electricity, water, or central heating, and their lives were not complicated by bathrooms, air conditioning, television, computer games, or cell phones. The outhouse was on the alley, and house water came from well pumps or a neighbor's faucet. Schools and parents demanded strict discipline, and education was important. Most families were striving to survive and rear their children to be law-abiding citizens. Children spent time in the fresh air, organized their own games, and roamed the streets, fields, or woodlands. However, they were assigned home chores and expected to contribute to the family. The Greatest Generation saved our country and the freedom we have enjoyed for three-quarters of a century.