Growing Up Carman

By Jane Carman McMahon and Howard Carman

"Growing Up Carman" is a book written by a brother and a sister who, in their 70s, decided to share some experiences, some light-hearted, some poignant, about themselves, their parents, their brother, relatives, and friends as they grew up in the 1930s, '40s, and '50s. The book suggests that Millard Carman, with his high-school education and one year of college at UT Knoxville, and Mary Kersey, with her eighth-grade education, may have been unaware of the difficult times ahead when they married March 16, 1929. Regardless, in less than eight months, Black Thursday, October 24, 1929, ushered in the Great Depression. In the midst of scarce jobs and austere living conditions, youthful participants in "Growing Up Carman" came along; Jane, born January 18, 1931; Millard, Jr., aka "Bubba," born August 4, 1933; and Howard, born October 26, 1937. Jane shares some real-life examples of hard times as she grew up in Union City and Troy, Tennessee; and St. Louis, Missouri, in the 1930s. She remembers that we always had running water, indoor toilet and bathtub, wherever we lived, but our apartments and home were heated only with coal-burning stoves until natural gas became available in Union City in the late '40s. Howard, almost seven years younger than Jane, experienced few of the hardships that Jane did growing up in the 1930s. By the time he was born, Daddy had a permanent job at the Blue Bell Laundry and Cleaners, a job he would keep for the rest of his life. Howard was barely four when World War II started in 1941, and America was put to work to defeat the enemy; the Axis and Japan had united the nation. Certain commodities were rationed during the war, such as sugar, flour, and gasoline, but Mother and Aunt Nell were nothing if not street-smart, so we did not suffer. The Carmans didn't have a car, so gasoline was not an issue. The family moved into its home at 718 Pierce Street when Howard was four years old, and he started school at Westover in 1943 at age five. The depression was over and "Growing Up Carman" was well underway, in his eyes.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 061569621X
• ISBN13: 9780615696218
• Release Date: September 2012
• Publisher: Reelfoot Publishing
• Length: 136 Pages
• Weight: 0.58 lbs.
• Dimensions: 9.0" x 0.3" x 6.0"