The 50 / 60 Kid - A Palo Alto Dreamer

By Jane Horton

What was Silicon Valley like before it was Silicon Valley? For both those who recollect the Bay Area in different times, and those who only know it now, this story delights with how things used to be;... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1435708172
• ISBN13: 9781435708174
• Release Date: January 2008
• Publisher: Lulu Press, Inc.
• Length: 336 Pages
• Weight: 1.20 lbs.
• Dimensions: 9.0" x 0.8" x 6.0"

Customer Reviews

Rural Palo Alto through a child's eyes

For those of us who moved to the Bay area after Silicon Valley matured, it's hard to imagine dirt roads, orchards, and children playing in the fields that were here before the housing boom. The Valley of Heart's Delight is well-represented in this novel. Shown through the eyes of a child, seeing how Palo Alto used to be, and how families lived is fascinating. Her youthful enthusiasm certainly shines through in various episodes woven throughout the book. (Wow, a new invention! Scotch tape! ... Did that crayon really land in her teacher's ear?) For those of us who take our common suburban lives for granted, this is a fun, eye-opener, that can be read in small stints -- every few pages is a miniature snapshot.

great memories

This brought back great memories of growing up in Palo Alto during the 1950's and 1960's

Palo Alto: A look back

Jane Horton's book is a looking glass into a child's life in Silicon Valley before the Silicon Valley of today. The reader will get a sense of what the valley was like back in the day of orchards and Sunday drives out in the country. You'll have many, "Oh, I remember those" moments as you weave through the often humorous stories of Jane's youth. One can't help but to reach back and reminisce about what life was like during their formative years and how experiences of those days molded the person they've become. A delightful and entertaining read.

palo alto winner

this is a wonderful memoir written about a time in history when life was good and a lot less complicated....the person telling the story of her early life provides great insight into a typical family of the 50's in Palo Alto,. a family who canned the fruits and vegetables that they grew.,. a family where the times profoundly affected the dynamics of the relationships between parents and children, and a wonderful voice of a young girl struggling to fit in and develop herself....you will love it!!!!

Nostalgia time in silicon valley

So many people who live and work in Silicon Valley can't imagine it as anything other than a high-tech hot spot and don't understand how it became the place that it did. More personally, there are also people going about their lives who don't understand how they became the person they did. Jane's book is a coming-of-age story and an entertaining look back at her youth in Palo Alto in the heart of today's Silicon Valley. It's simultaneously a biography and a commentary on culture, values, family, progress and change. As one who lived in the area for many years, I was astounded by this look back in time, and at how much the area has changed. Change is a theme that Jane has woven easily into her book, both external and internal. As I read the chapters - all entertaining, many funny, some sad - I could not help but be reminded of my own childhood, my parents, my teachers. As Jane explains the events that shaped her, I could not help but consider those that shaped me. I expected to read an entertaining history of a person and a place. The unexpected bonus was an invitation to think about myself.