Brown Sugar Syrup and Jack Pine Sand

by Dennis Herschbach

Award winning writer Dennis Herschbach brings an engaging tale of growing up a country boy in post-WWII rural Minnesota. While young Dennis spent his days wandering the north woods with his bow and arrow, his parents struggled to sustain a home without electricity or running water.
Herschbach describes his boyhood with humor and compassion. He captures the spirit of a way of life that has all but disappeared, a way of life that was vital to the development of the northern Minnesota region. Brown Sugar Syrup and Jack Pine Sand jogs the memories of those who lived that life, and it provides a glimpse of the past for those too young to have been there.

Paperback

First published May 28, 2010

Reviews

[Lola]

The author's recollections of his boyhood in northern
Minnesota. He tells of hunting and trapping, fishing
and just sitting in the woods daydreaming. He wanted
to grow up to be a Native American and treasured his
bow and arrows.
His father also loved their home in the country but his
mother did not. She was ashamed of their sparse home
with the worn out linoleum on the floor. She wanted to
be around people, and wished for a bathroom instead of
the outhouse.
When they finally moved to the city it was heartbreaking
for Dennis and his father. They missed the woods and their
big garden.
This book was enjoyable reading and full of memories of
the "good old days".

[Mindy]

3.5 stars. I really enjoyed this memoir of Herschbach's childhood in Blackberry. He's a distant cousin and I liked learning about his family and life experiences as a child this way. Easy to read. (Star rating dropped a little due to editing errors that seemed to be only in the beginning). He draws you right into the forests of his boyhood, and it made me want to visit Northern Minnesota.

[Stephanie]

This is a great memoir on Minnesota life as it was. It was made much richer through the personal re-telling.