A bestselling classic of humorous and nostalgic Americana and the basis of the movie A Christmas Story. “Mr. Shepherd has the true satirist’s grip on his pen: he is humorous, sympathetic,and ironic all at once.”—Boston Globe Before Garrison Keillor and Spalding Gray there was Jean Shepherd: a master monologist and writer who spun the materials of his all-American childhood into immensely resonant—and utterly hilarious—works of comic art. Wanda Hickey’s Night of Golden Memories represents one of the peaks of his achievement, a compound of irony, affection, and perfect detail that speaks across generations. Wanda Hickey’s Night of Golden Memories is a universal (and achingly funny) orchestration of Midwestern puberty rites. From the gut-wrenching playground antics of one Delbert Bumpus and the almighty sacrifice of the Easter ham, to taffy-apple binges at the state fair and the supernatural glow surrounding unapproachable high school beauty Daphne Bigelow, to the memorable disaster that was Shepherd’s (and everyone else’s) junior prom—these are some of the archetypal legends of childhood that Shepherd evokes from his nostalgic Indiana muse. A timeless and enduring classic, Wanda Hickey’s Night of Golden Memories captures the sweet cacophonous roar of youth tempered with the wit and honesty of a grown boy

Ethel Van Wagnen has learned that her childhood friend Graff lost his wife in a tragic accident. She knows he has suffered grief and hardships throughout his life. Now, can Ethel, with the help of her husband and family, bring Graff back to a happy life? Will he accept this gift from his dearest friend and first love? A surprise visit from Graff begins the making of new memories and the recalling of days growing up as neighbors. Ethel decides to document their visits in hand-written journals for him. Will her prayers for him be answered? And what will the future bring to them as a new friend comes into Graff's life? Linda Ann Lewis has preserved the heart of the writings of her great-grandmother and combined them with stories she created about Ethel's girlhood in the 1880s. Through her study of the journals and historical research, she attempts to answer some questions about what happened to the childhood friendship of Ethel and Graff. The result is a touching story of "first love" and decades of true friendship and devotion that will capture the imagination of the reader.

Macrina Wiederkehr shares a wealth of effective ways to awaken the golden memories each of us has. Her use of creative rituals, personal symbols, and pilgrimages to hallowed places invites us to make similar journeys to our past.

The Anthology is dexterously compiled by wonderful budding authors with their own Power of in Sight. The Anthology of Golden Memories manifests about the lively memories of Childhood. Life is always a mixture of Sweet and Spice, and so is Childhood. The authors of the book have beaded the memories into a perfect book. Re-collecting the moments will always soothe us.The childhood memories will be cherished in our heart forever. The best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or touched but only felt by heart .Long live Memories. We the co- compilers are indeed glad to compile this anthology which speaks about the living memories of each author who have penned their innermost feelings.

This is an inspirational nonfiction narrative of life during the great depression as viewed through the absorbing eyes and inquisitive mind of a child and his dog. It is a vibrant word portrait of the non-martyr life of a coal miner's son, his extended family, and the people of the anthracite coal region when the economy of our nation was at low ebb. It portrays, contrasts, and harmonizes the values, principles, life styles, and the multicultural ethnic customs and mores, of the Polish, Irish, Welch, English, and Jewish nationalities living in the northeastern region of Pennsylvania during the 1930s. It presents a society that was less complex than the one we currently live in; it exhibits personal support that was given warmly and with less formality and expense than we experience today. It is an interesting mixture of tragedy, joy, and humor emerged in a secure way of life.

The high-tech paradise just north of San Francisco, known as the Redwood Empire, was once a land of vineyards, chicken ranches, orchards, and dairies. Using their own words and vintage photographs, here are the stories of the area's residents and their 100 years of history, from the lost glitter of the Gold Rush to end of World War II. The stories recalled here come from the reflections of the people who kept their towns and farms running on a daily basis. Among the voices heard in these chapters are Healdsburg's Ferguson family, pioneer survivors of the westward trail, and David Wharff, who brought the first chickens to Sonoma County, helping create the World's Egg Basket. Through the great Santa Rosa earthquake of 1906, to the devastating flu epidemic of World War I, to the Santa Rosa-Petaluma "Big Game" riot of 1943, these diary, interview, and newspaper accounts cover a century of rich history in the Redwood Empire.