Young with the Twentieth Century

The tales in Sarah Davis Pearson's charming book offer an informal history of a great American Age. In retelling the stories members of a Wisconsin family told one another between the Civil and Second World Wars, she touches on the changes in life and customs during that century. Although meticulous research enhanced her memory, the author admits that, being family, not every one of the principals involved would agree with her account of every episode.

Many of the stories are humorous. Others illustrate rapid advances in science, communication, and transportation and the effects of massive European immigration to the United States. In essence, this memoir is an affectionate recollection of growing up in a close and lively family during days long gone.