Peculiar Lessons: How Nature and the Physical World Shaped a Prairie Childhood

Braun, Lois

ISBN 10: 1773370375 / ISBN 13: 9781773370378

Published by Great Plains Press, 2020

About this Item

pp. 224.

Seller Inventory # 369123293

Bibliographic Details

• Title: Peculiar Lessons: How Nature and the Physical World Shaped a Prairie Childhood
• Publisher: Great Plains Press
• Publication Date: 2020
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1773370375
• ISBN 13: 9781773370378
• Binding: Soft cover
• Condition: New

About this title

Synopsis

Part memoir, part social history, this collection of ten essays explores the various physical and natural elements that form the backdrop to Braun's memories of growing up on a farm in southern Manitoba in the mid-20th century. From blackboard chalk to curling rocks in the chapter on stone, from mirages to straight-line winds in the essay on light and air, she reflects on her interactions with the elements as a child and how her responses influenced her evolution into adulthood.Braun includes intriguing tidbits about the science and history behind each element as it pertains to life in her unique location on our planet. The book highlights the value and beauty of the simple components of our surroundings that we take for granted growing up, exposes their true complexity, and reveals how the fascination with a “simple” thing can become a lifelong pursuit that sustains our artistic and spiritual needs.

About the Author

Lois Braun grew up in a Mennonite community in southern Manitoba and taught elementary school in Altona until her retirement. She has written four critically acclaimed collections of short fiction, including A Stone Watermelon, which was was shortlisted for the Governor General's Literary Award, and The Penance Drummer, which received the Margaret Laurence Award for Fiction. She is currently a freelance editor and volunteers for local arts- and history-related committees and events. She lives in Altona.