Growing Up Before the Bomb

Growing Up before the Bomb brings to life a time and place in our collective American past. In a series of chapters the author has captured what life was like, growing up during the Great Depression of 1929-1941 and the difficulties of World War II. The author lived through the depression years when millions of workers were out of work looked to the Roosevelt Administration for help that included such pump-priming devices as the WPA, PWA, NRA, and the CCC. None of these worked very well. It took the build-up and prosecution of World War II to bring about employment levels that matched the pre-Depression days. This is a collection of impressions about what it was like to grow up in a simpler world, before the dropping of two atomic bombs on Japan. This effectively brought about the end of World War II and cast the United States, willing or not, into the role of Super Power.

Richard Rohrbacher is professor emeritus from the College of San Mateo where he taught theatre arts, public speaking, and English. He has worked as an actor and/or director in the United States, Ireland, London and Australia. He is a produced playwright, and his plays have been staged on the West Coast and in Australia.His affiliations include Rotary International where he served as a District Governor during 1995-96, the Veterans of Foreign Wars, the Docent Association of Columbia State Historic Park and the Tuolumne County, San Joaquin County, and Calavaras Historical Society. A Stockton, California native, he is a third generation Californian. A graduate of College of the Pacific. He was, in 1978, honored by being selected as an Alumni Fellow of the University of the Pacific. He is a member of Phi Kappa Phi Honor Fraternity, Washington State University chapter and has an earned M.A. and Ph.D. degree.Dr. Rohrbacher is currently working on research connected with mid-nineteenth century California history.