Stories Of A Small Town Farm Boy

Stories of a Small Town Farm Boy takes author Eric Duling’s 1960s childhood on a big-family farm and brings it to life starting with the story of an anxious child trying to acclimate into the first grade when all he’s ever known has been farm life. His stories encompass grade school through graduate school as well as a teaching career and early retirement. Duling wrote Stories of a Small Town Farm Boy because when he left the rural life weighing two very different career paths—engineering professor and singer/songwriter—he realized that not only could he communicate, and communicate well with others, but that they liked his stories. They heard in his stories their own. And so, with this book of humerous yet poignant stories, Duling hopes to continue to entertain you, make you laugh, and yes, connect.

"This is the true life story of a boy growing up to manhood on an Illinois farm ... told in remarkably evocative photographs and in the words of the boy and his family ... the Hammers ... Lieberman decided to make a photographic record of Bill Junior as he grew up, married, and had a son of his own ... Then, when the story was complete, he sat down with the Hammers and taped their reflections as they looked back over twenty years and ahead to the future ... 240 illustrations"--Dust jacket.

Homosexuality is often seen as a purely urban experience, far removed from rural and small-town life. Farm Boys undermines that cliche by telling the stories of more than three dozen gay men, ranging in age from 24 to 84, who grew up in farm families in the midwestern United States. Whether painful, funny, or matter-of-fact, these plain-spoken accounts will move and educate any reader, gay or not, from farm or city. “When I was fifteen, the milkman who came to get our milk was beautiful. This is when I was really getting horny to do something with another guy. I waited every day for him to come. I couldn’t even talk to him, couldn’t think of anything to say. I just stood there, watching him, wondering if he knew why.”—Henry Bauer, Minnesota “When I go back home, I feel a real connection with the land—a tremendous feeling, spiritual in a way. It makes me want to go out into a field and take my shoes off and put my feet right on the dirt, establish a real physical connection with that place. I get homesick a lot, but I don’t know if I could ever go back there and live. It’s not the kind of place that would welcome me if I lived openly, the way that I would like to live. I would be shunned.”—Martin Scherz, Nebraska “If there is a checklist to see if your kid is queer, I must have hit every one of them—all sorts of big warning signs. I was always interested in a lot of the traditional queen things—clothes, cooking, academics, music, theater. A farm boy listening to show tunes? My parents must have seen it coming.”—Joe Shulka, Wisconsin “My favorite show when I was growing up was ‘The Waltons’. The show’s values comforted me, and I identified with John-Boy, the sensitive son who wanted to be a writer. He belonged there on the mountain with his family, yet he sensed that he was different and that he was often misunderstood. Sometimes I still feel like a misfit, even with gay people.”—Connie Sanders, Illinois “Agriculture is my life. I like working with farm people, although they don’t really understand me. When I retire I want the word to get out [that I’m gay] to the people I’ve worked with—the dairy producers, the veterinarians, the feed salesmen, the guys at the co-ops. They’re going to be shocked, but their eyes are going to be opened.”—James Heckman, Indiana

The book tells about the unique and inspiring story on the life of Candido P. Villanueva (1933-2017 from Dasmarinas, Cavite, Philippines), a poor farm boy who persevered in life and surpassed poverty through education. It is a story of courage, faith, and determination. He conquered all odds to be able to attend school and fulfill his earnest dream of finishing his studies and becoming a lawyer. He was proud for being one of the first lawyers in his hometown, and for having served the less fortunate people in his community. This book was written as a daughter's tribute to her father's indomitable spirit and with the goal to encourage the youth to pursue their studies despite challenges in life.

In an annotated list including movies such as High Noon and Glory, and books such as The Giving Tree and To Kill a Mockingbird, therapist and educator Gurian highlights the particular ethical lessons two hundred great stories can impart to boys and young men.

From the pages of a lost journal comes the true story of a small town police officer in the 1980s. Author, Randy H. Greer, details his experiences fighting crime in an era when resources were slim, backup was far away, and danger was often present. Equipped only with a badge and revolver Greer patrolled the streets and back roads of this rural community battling ruffians, gun runners, thieves, killers, and even town officials. Greers memoirs include accounts of manhunts and murders, sheriffs and shenanigans, triumphs and tragedies, punctuated with historical events of the region. Working the night shift, Greer shares details of a world virtually unknown by most, a world where criminal activity hides under the cover of darkness. A personal account of the life and times of a small town police officer, this book serves as a tribute to those who dedicate their lives to protect and serve.

The author of True Crime: Michigan “tells the tale of an alleged World War I German spy and love-ad bandit from Royal Oak who killed to cover up his work” (C&G News). In the fall of 1916, New York housemaid Augusta Steinbach fell in love with a man she met through a matrimonial advertisement in her local newspaper. She traveled to Detroit to marry her correspondent, but in March 1917, she mysteriously disappeared. What began as a routine search for a missing person turned into a baffling case of deception, bigamy, and murder. Follow detectives as they unravel the tangled web spun by Michigan’s original lonely-hearts killer—a criminal mastermind the Detroit News dubbed “one of America's master outlaws.” Includes photos