Things Change: Memoirs and Lessons of a Baby Boomer Farm Kid, Life Long Student, and Forty-Year Educator

by John W. Laubmeier

In anticipation of her wedding, my daughter asked me if I had any words of wisdom for her. I took her request seriously. As I gathered my thoughts, I kept running into one reality, that is things change.

As a baby boomer farm kid growing up in Wisconsin, I learned the value of hard work and the importance of family. I heard stories of my grandparents and parents about the Great Depression and World War II. During the Cold War, I often felt my childhood was spent under the shadow of the bomb. I attended college during the anti-war riots of the late 1960s and early 1970s.

For this book, I drew upon my childhood and coming-of-age influence. The deaths of John Kennedy, Robert Kennedy, Martin Luther King, Jr., and so many others served as wake-up calls to me. Things change, sometimes for the better and sometimes not. However, we can learn from the important lessons of the past. We can work to improve the world around us while preserving the values of past generations.

Throughout my 40 years as a social studies teacher, students have told me they loved my history classes because I made the material meaningful by teaching through his-stories and her-stories. In this book, I share a wealth of stories and insights as to how the reader can make sense of—and make a difference in—a world where things constantly change.

161 pages, Paperback

First published June 17, 2015

Reviews

[Emily · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this to complete a workplace reading challenge (this item on the list was “read a local book”), and it was interesting to read what life was like for the author, growing up as a Wisconsin farm kid in the 50’s, his college days in Madison in the late 60’s/early 70’s, and his time as a teacher and Village board member in Waunakee (where I work).
My 3-star “liked/didn’t love” rating is for the writing, which was only O.K. and jumped—often very abruptly—from anecdote to anecdote. With the overall theme of “things change,” it’s not surprising he wanted to emphasize it as he covered different periods of his life, but the 2-word sentence was repeated a few too many times for my patience level (which some would describe as “low”).
The title took on a sadder meaning when he revealed he was diagnosed with brain cancer the year before the book was published. That year, 2015, he gave what was probably the most popular adult program of the year at the library where I work. https://waunablog.blogspot.com/2015/0.... It’s clear he was a much-beloved teacher and community member.
The book was inspired by his daughter asking him for words of wisdom as she prepared to get married. In the last chapter of the book, he included his letter to the couple, which I thought was quite sweet. I liked his final paragraph.

Appreciate your age, your health, your spouse, your children, your extended family, and your friends. Don’t wait to do good things tomorrow when you are less stressed and less busy. Today is all any of us has; the clock is ticking backward. There may be no next. Carpe Diem…Seize the Day.

[Jeff Rosendahl · Rating 2 out of 5]

Surprised to see that Goodreads has this title in their catalog. Not much to this book, unfortunately. I was hoping for much more about life growing up on the farm in Dane County, WI. While there is some of that, this book is much more of a "this was my life" story than any kind of historical piece. I'm sure it's very interesting for his family, but not so much for those of us outside of that demographic.

[Linda · Rating 5 out of 5]

I admit I'm prejudiced, since I worked at school with the author, but he skillfully brought to life his experiences growing up in Wisconsin in the 1950's and 60's.