Book Review

I just finished Pat's new book Growing Up In the Texas Panhandle.

I know that this book will be a treasure to Pat's family in the years to come, but as one with no connection to Pat's family, I can say with surety that this is also a wonderful read for anyone with an interest in reading lifestories.

The stories of summers spent with grandparents, family picnics, roller skating, swimming, and other childhood fun made me remember back to my own childhood and the endless summer days that stretched out ahead. Pat's description of family vacations that entailed hours and hours of travel in an unairconditioned car also took me back to the days when my own mother packed wet faceclothes for us to cool ourselves in the heat of the afternoon.

Her book is filled with favorite family recipes (I am dying to try that fried chicken!) and tributes to grandparents whom she learned to appreciate only after they were gone.

Pat goes on to tell about her early working years and her experience of finally leaving her family home. This book resonated with me and left me yearning for a simpler time when we made our own fun and life was not so complicated. While Pat and I grew up in different times and in different geographic locations, many of the experiences she writes about resonate with my own memories of childhood.

I would highly recommend this book to anyone looking to take a trip back in time to learn a bit more about how someone else grew to be the person that they finally become.

Thank you for sharing your stories, Pat!