Book Review: "Growing Up", author Russell Baker

        The late columnist, Russell Baker passed away this past January.  A number of years ago he wrote a memoir about his early years called "Growing Up".  It won him a Pulitzer Prize.  It was a best seller.  His candid account of a childhood dealing with "The Depression", as opposed to 'depression', clearly touched a generation, often called the "Greatest Generation".  Millions of Americans are familiar with Mr. Baker because he was a writer of columns and articles that were widely published on a regular basis across America for many, many years.   His ability to touch ordinary people was extraordinary.   He could observe a simple act, hear a simple word or phrase, or meet an ordinary citizen and turn that into something extraordinary.
         Most Americans over 40 years of age have heard of the "Depression".  The era has left its mark on millions of individuals and American history.  It was a time that marked a low point in our history, when ordinary people could not find shelter, lacked sufficient food for their families, lost jobs and livelihoods.  It was a time when bank failures were commonplace, farms and homes were repossessed, families were turned into the streets, nowhere to go.   Suffering was widespread, and often the weakest suffered the most: children, the elderly, the sick and injured, and mothers responsible for putting food on the table.  There was wholesale abandonment by fathers who lost jobs and dignity; the same fathers who couldn't cope with failure, and had no hope of improving conditions.  These facts scarred the victims for life, no matter the outcomes.
       Russell Baker began to suffer early on on his life when his father  died young at age 37, leaving his widow with 3 children to raise on her own.  She had no skills, no money, and little hope of improvement.  Sadly, she gave up her youngest daughter to a couple who could offer some hope of a future, a future that included a decent chance by providing a home and sufficient food for all family members.  Russell and his other sister had to follow their Mom wherever she would take them.  Fortunately, she was able to secure shelter with one of her brothers in New Jersey.  Baker's description of life in that home provides details of effects on a family's life as the Depression dragged on for years during the 1930's.   When FDR was elected in 1932, he began his programs that put Americans to work.  Progress was slow, but the effects of the WPA soon began to appear among those suffering the worst.   Baker's memoir touches on the details that a curious child could remember: the importance of a few pennies or a nickel to the welfare of the family.  His descriptions of his Mother's efforts to ensure that he studied hard and that he recognize the importance of education became part of his lasting memory of the period.
       As he matured, his Mother directed him to apply for college; but then, a war interrupted his  plans.   He became a pilot in the Navy and was preparing for the invasion of Japan when the war abruptly ended, no doubt saving his life.  He then entered college and completed his degree, ready to work.  With luck and skill, he landed a job with a newspaper and began a life that continued for the next 50 years.  A great life well reported.