The GI Generation: A Memoir

By Frank Furlong Mathias and Frank F. Mathias

Book Overview

Frank Mathias was born in Maysville, Kentucky, (pop. 7000) in 1925 and grew up in nearby Carlisle (pop. 1500), where life in his small town was much like that in towns and villages all across America. He came of age in an era of total security; his parents never even had a key to their front door. Daily living was infused with gossip; no one had a secret, and everyone knew everyone else's business. Outdoor life was a vital part of growing up, and teachers and mentors instilled a sense of right and wrong in young people. Raised during the Great Depression, Mathias became a member of a fighting force the likes of which the world had never known, a legion now called "The Greatest Generation." The GI Generation tells Mathias's story of growing up with the sweet whistle of the L&N train and the summer-kitchen smells of hot salt-rising bread and blackberry cobbler, which could instantly halt even the most rousing game of cowboys and Indians. Much of community life focused on the local high school, which, in Mathias's case, was a tiny one with no chemistry courses, no drivers' training, and no guidance counselors. Yet the one hundred students who graduated between 1942 and 1944 became university professors, top executives, military commanders, successful investors, lawyers, and physicians. A vivid portrait of a bucolic pre-war boyhood, The GI Generation takes readers back to an era when boys rustled watermelons under the hot summer sun and young lovers danced to the sounds of farmhouse bands. Whether describing the unfortunate (but delicious) end of his brother's pet chicken, Don, or the ominous clouds of war, Mathias writes with humor, honesty, and compassion.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0813193214
• ISBN13: 9780813193212
• Release Date: December 2009
• Publisher: University Press of Kentucky
• Length: 240 Pages
• Weight: 1.00 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 6.0" x 9.0"
• Grade Range: Postsecondary and higher

Customer Reviews

The Lost World

Mathias' childhood was poised on the edge of cataclysm. Of course, the portents of this coming storm were little noticed by Mathias and his pals; they were far too busy stealing watermelons (by floating them downriver), exploring abandoned privys (with dire consequences) and tramping the countryside of their 20-mile-wide bit of the planet. With a fluid and often hilarious narrative Mathias lets us live as a child of the 1930's. His writing has that "ring of truth" which amplifies the humor and poignancy of the tales he tells. He never forgot how ten-year-olds view the world. A delightful, engrossing, touching memoir giving much needed context to the lives of those who gave the supreme sacrifice. Highly recommended.

His Old Kentucky Home

In the tradition of Angela's Ashes, this wonderfully evocative book is a joyful journey back into an ordinary man's past which reveals that no one's past is really ordinary. Mathias' description of his boyhood in a small Kentucky town is a vivid microcosm of pre-World War II America. The author's affectionate parents are still wedded to their Victorian upbringing, while Frank and his young friends are treading a rocky path between the idealism of the nineteenth century and the exciting unknowns of a new era. His portraits of local characters such as incorruptible high school principal Everett Earl "Fanny" Pfanstiel, and his own father, "Lucky" Mathias (addicted to championship prizefights on the new Crosley radio) are both touching and hilarious! A deeply satisfying glimpse into our collective past by a gifted history professor...