BEMIDJI — It’s all about nostalgia in the newest book authored by John Eggers of Bemidji.
“Livin’ in the 50’s Memories” chronicles Eggers’ teenage years with stories from his southern Minnesota hometown of Waterville.
“Although I use Waterville and its immediate surroundings as the focus of the book, it also is applicable to any small Minnesota town in the '50s,” Eggers said. “For example, every small town had a cafe as a teen gathering place, every small town had a bonfire during homecoming, teens cruised down the few streets in town, teens enjoyed sock hops, the school was the rallying center for kids. I used my own experiences to highlight these similarities.”
Eggers, a retired educator, has written 24 books. Many of them deal with education topics, and some of the most recent ones are children's books. He also writes a weekly education column in the Bemidji Pioneer.
“I like to write and writing comes easy for me,” Eggers said. “I don’t think I’m the best writer in the world, but I try to improve with each book.”
ADVERTISEMENT
“Livin’ in the 50’s Memories” is a collection of personal stories that Eggers hopes readers can relate to.
“I think people who grew up in the 1950s will be able to identify with the things that happened,” he said. “Most small towns were alike. They were booming in the 1950s because everybody shopped locally. It was a kind of quiet time right after World War II.
"I think people were busy just getting their lives together. My parents went through World War I, although they weren’t very old at the time. They experienced the Depression, then of course my dad was in World War II. All of those bad times. I think they wanted a time when their kids could grow up just being kids. That was special about the 1950s.”
Eggers will sign copies of his book from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 19, at Bemidji Woolen Mills and from 2 to 5 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 25, at Lueken’s Village Foods South.
