From the streets of Fargo, North Dakota to the markets of Algiers (but mostly closer to home) Rebecca Lukens has lived a long life enriched by education, teaching, writing, and maybe most of all by family. In a wry, witty, and engaging voice she presents bright snapshots of herself, her parents and siblings, her four children, and her grandchildren. Her vignettes have a lovely modesty, a full-heartedness, a wonderful sense of humor, and an aliveness to life’s possibilities on every page, and together they create a stirring collage that pays close attention to the upheavals and transformations of the 20th century–particularly the changing roles of women. Enthusiastic, alert, and upbeat, IT’S BEEN GREAT! is that rare book that fully earns its exclamation mark.