Beginning ~ with America's land rush

Beginning

In the late nineteenth Century, in the Great Plains of Middle America, the American savanna, the land rush was on.  It was a vast swath of real estate that was low on water and rich in challenges — from brutal winter seasons to scorching summers.  Until recently it had been the home of enormous herds of antelope and American bison, the magnificent beast prized for its rich pelts and thick cuts of red meat.

Never Give Up: A Prairie Family's Story ~ by Tom Brokaw, 2023, memoir (South Dakota), 139 pages,

Tom Brokaw’s father, Red, left school in the second grade to work in the family hotel — the Brokaw House, established in Bristol, South Dakota, by R. P. Brokaw in 1883.  Eventually, through work on construction jobs, Red developed an exceptional talent for machines.  Tom’s mother, Jean, was the daughter of a farmer who lost everything during the Great Depression.  They met after a high school play, when Jean played the lead and Red fell in love with her from the audience.  Although they didn’t have much money early in their marriage, especially once they had three boys at home, Red’s philosophy of “Never give up” served them well.  His big break came after World War II, when he went to work for the Army Corps of Engineers building great dams across the Missouri River, magnificent structures like the Fort Randall and the Gavins Point dams.  Late in life, Red surprised his family by recording his memories of the hard times of his early life, reflections that inspired this book.

Tom Brokaw is known as one of the most successful people in broadcast journalism.  Throughout his legendary career, Brokaw has always asked what we can learn from world events and from our history.  Never Give Up is a portrait of the resilience and respect for others at the heart of one American family’s story.

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