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Paperback Original An American Hometown Terre Haute, Indiana, 1927Tom Roznowski Foreword by Scott Russell Sanders |
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A storyteller looks at a bygone America "Roznowski has the storyteller’s skill for isolating relevant detail and employing rhetorical flourish to illuminate both character and scene." —Jacob Jones, University of Maryland,
"Tom Roznowski uses an innovative way to capture the image of Terre Haute in 1927. The City Directory listings become a social history carried along by humor, deep feeling and a sense of national history. The prosperous and famous share the stage, as they should, with ordinary residents. Even those living at the County Poor Farm find their rightful place in the fabric of community." —Dorothy W. Jerse, On the Banks of the Wabash: a photograph album of Greater Terre Haute 1900-1950 , 1983, IUP
"Tom Roznowski brings the lost world of a city back to life, and in so doing asks us to re-imagine the way we live now." —Bloom , December 2009/January 2010 They lived "green" out of necessity—walking to work, repairing everything from worn shoes to wristwatches, recycling milk bottles and packing containers. Music was largely heard live and most residential streets had shade trees. The nearby Wabash River—a repeated subject of story and song—transported Sunday picnickers to public parks. In the form of an old-fashioned city directory, An American Hometown celebrates a bygone American era, focusing on life in 1920s Terre Haute, Indiana. With artfully drawn biographical sketches and generously illustrated histories, noted musician, historian, and storyteller Tom Roznowski not only evokes a beauty worth remembering, but also brings to light just how many of our modern ideas of sustainable living are deeply rooted in the American tradition.
Visit the author's websites: Hometown and tomroznowski.net
Tom Roznowski, based in Bloomington, Indiana, is a writer and musician. He is host of Hometown, a radio program broadcast by NPR affiliate WFIU.
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Distribution: World Publication date: 10/27/2009 |
