News anchor Tom Brokaw called Valden Farnham's
generation the greatest one. And a few pages into this book, it's
not hard to figure out why.
Farnham was just six years old when the crumbling stock
market started the the Great Depression. The economic
struggles strangling our country hit his hometown of Toledo
too. Life was hard. Farnham and the rest of his family forged ahead,
hopeful that better days were on their way.
Unfortunately, those brighter days didn't last long. Farnham's
first stint in college was cut short by the outbreak of World War
II. He enlisted in the army, served in Europe, and did his part to
help the Allies win the war.
When he returned home, his romantic life was turned upside
down. But Farnham picked up the pieces, found love again, and
carved out something close to the American dream.
In his memoir, Just A While Ago, Farnham looks back on all that he's done.
It's the story of the greatest generation, told through one
man's life.
And it's a remarkable one.