Title: A Man Learns
Author: Donald Hall
Review: This is a sweet story written by a man who
lives in my home city of Minneapolis, Minnesota. I wanted to read this memoir
because I truly enjoy learning about other people's lives and the way they view
the world as well as what they've experienced to lead them to that particular
view. This one was especially close to my heart because I not only share the
same city with the author, but I also went to college near his hometown of St.
Cloud, Minnesota.
Donald
Hall, congenial in every way, recounts the sixty odd years of his life with
charm, warmth and humor, so much so that by the end of the book he becomes
someone you'd like to befriend. He and I both grew up in small towns, yet his
experience was far different from mine, in part because we are separated by a
full generation, Donald being roughly 25 years older than myself. His was a
kind and gentle existence, his youth shepherded by two attentive parents, his
father a hardworking and wise lumberyard owner and his mother a devoted woman
who nurtured her children but didn't smother them, allowing Donald the freedom
to learn about the world through his own eyes. I enjoyed reading about his
small town existence which was enrobed in simplicity, one which I dearly
remember from my own experience, as well as his rendering of dipping a toe into
the pool of adulthood via the highway of rowdiness, drink and sometimes futile,
sometimes successful sparring with the opposite sex; tales that can't help but
bring a smile to one's face.
The
forces at play in Don's young life breathe success into his later years where
he meets and marries a loving, compatible partner and follows his father's
footsteps to become a prosperous business man in his own right, all with grace
and eye out for the common man within his community. Donald Hall is the type of
person you want to root for and applaud when he climbs to the top of the heap
because he's definitely one of the good guys.
Thanks for this review goes to Tera.
Publisher:
Published June 1st 2005 by Syren Book Company
ISBN: 9780929636429
Copyright: 2005
Pages: 224
Quick Review: 3 stars out of 5
Where I Obtained the Book: I acquired A Man Learns from a friend.
Why I Read the Book: I read this book because
I enjoy learning about other people's lives.
Synopsis: A Central Minnesota boy of the 1940's and 1950's interprets his life for meaning and truth and in the process describes what happens to a person's heart. Don Hall mourns the lost freedom of youth, recounts the drunken groping of adolescence, relives the search for meaningful work, the disillusionment with early beliefs, and the quest for comfort and love, and then finally addresses death wtih understanding and hope. Written with tenderness and humor, you will recognize parts of yourself here as well.
Synopsis: A Central Minnesota boy of the 1940's and 1950's interprets his life for meaning and truth and in the process describes what happens to a person's heart. Don Hall mourns the lost freedom of youth, recounts the drunken groping of adolescence, relives the search for meaningful work, the disillusionment with early beliefs, and the quest for comfort and love, and then finally addresses death wtih understanding and hope. Written with tenderness and humor, you will recognize parts of yourself here as well.
Author Biography: Donald M. Hall grew
up in St. Cloud, Minnesota. He attended St. John's Preparatory School and St.
John's University in Collegeville, Minnesota, and went on to a career in
finance. Now retired, he lives with his wife, Marion, in Minneapolis.
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