Carter B. Forbes was born in 1905 and said "I don't remember a thing about it, and if I had, my Mother would have been the most embarrassed woman in twenty-seven counties." And the stories go on from there. He grew up in the first part of the 20th century on a farm in the panhandle of Texas and tells the tales of his life that reveal the character of the time, the place and the man involved. Follow along as he
walks two miles to school down a dusty farm road, has two prairie dogs for pets surreptitiously becomes the Second Queen of the city fair, drops out of the University of Texas, but survives two sanatoriums and tuberculosis, travels the United States by car many times (more than two), picks peaches (a lot more than two) for a summer job works as a carpenter in a mine in Washington state, goes to Europe in 1938, rides a bike there and gets out the day before Kristallnacht on the last US ship leaving.
He taught electronics for the Army in WW2 and then had a long career with the Civil Aeronautics Authority (now FAA). His life spanned technology going from early phones, radio and the Wright Brothers to radar and jet planes. And he rolled with it all. The style of the story telling is Mark Twain-ish and will keep the reader captivated by Carter's observations of people and places. His was not an easy life, but it was a full one--filled with curiosity about the world.
In his own words "If you enjoy reading this, it is your own fault". Take a chance and see. I did and loved it [full disclosure: he was my father]. But don't take my word for it, an English teacher friend of mine said "...lets the reader hear his [Carter's] voice the way it really sounded rather than a sanitized, standardized version. He seems a man who saw the possibilities in any situation, didn't whine much, and loved his family."
