A Nickel's Worth of Skim Milk

BOOK REVIEW: A Nickel's Worth of Skim Milk by Robert J. Hastings; Southern Illinois University Press.

This is one of those books that has been on my parents' bookshelf for as long as I can remember. It's one that I picked up every few years and would read a few pages. This year, at Christmas, I picked up and decided I would take it home and read the whole thing.

Hastings tells the story of growing up in a small town in Southern Illinois during the Depression. Like most who lived through these years, he not only learned the value of a dollar, but picked up invaluable life lessons on gratitude, family, hard work, sharing, etc. Hastings is a great story-teller. His attention to details puts you right there in his childhood world, a time in America that produced what many consider to be our "greatest generation."

It's a short book, and you will be able to read it quickly. But don't go too fast, for some of these stories will be best appreciated if you take some time to pause and reflect on how our greedy and busy culture could use a dose of humility and a reminder of a simpler time. If you can get your hands on a copy, it would be a great book to read through with your children, also.