by Lynne Cheney
|
| List Price: | $26.00 |
| Amazon Price: | $17.16 & eligible for FREE Super Saver Shipping on orders over $25. |
| You Save: | $8.84 (34%) |
| Average Rating: |  |
| Lowest New Price: | $2.00 |
| Availablitiy: | Usually ships in 24 hours |
|
 |
|
Product Description
In Blue Skies, No Fences: A Memoir of Childhood and Family, Lynne Cheney re-creates the years after World War II in a small town on the high plains of the West. Portraying an era that started with the Ink Spots on the Zenith Radio in her family's living room and ended with Elvis on the jukebox at the local canteen, she tells of coming of age in a time when the country seemed in control of its destiny and individual Americans in charge of theirs. She describes Casper, Wyoming, where she met a young man named Dick Cheney, and remembers her hometown as a place where the future seemed as bright as the blue sky and life's possibilities as boundless as the prairie. It was also a place where a pioneer heritage prevailed, and Cheney traces the paths of forebears who journeyed westward, strengthened against adversity by a bedrock belief that they would find a better life. An uplifting exploration of a special time and place in American history, Blue Skies, No Fences is also a heartfelt tribute to those optimistic souls who, in Lynne Cheney s words, "pinned their hopes on America and kept heading west".
Customers who bought this item also bought
Average Customer Review:
0 of 0 people found the following review helpful:
 Blue Skies INDEED!, 2008-01-14
I purchased two copies - one for myself and one for a friend who grew up in Blue Skies/No Fences country. We both have thoroughly enjoyed reading this account of the western way of life that helped define the values of this lovely lady and her husband. This book is a wonderful intimate peek into their lives and I thank her for sharing!
0 of 0 people found the following review helpful:
A handful of black-and-white photographs dot this nostalgic and loving tribute to Lynne's family, 2008-01-08
Blue Skies, No Fences: A Memoir of Childhood and Family captures the reminiscences of Lynne Cheney, the wife of Vice President Dick Cheney and blends them with true tales of American dreams. Offering a spotlight on the small Wyoming prairie town of Casper, Blue Skies, No Fences tells of exuberant young girls, boys who hunted and fished, and strong-willed family women. Of especial interest is the glimpse through the lens of time of a young daredevil of the Alcova Dam spillway/impromptu water slide who would grow up to be the man Lynne married. A handful of black-and-white photographs dot this nostalgic and loving tribute to Lynne's family, the havens of small town life, and the America of yesteryear.
6 of 19 people found the following review helpful:
 Not So Rosy Back Then, 2007-12-10
While we all have our nostalgic memories of growing up in a small town in the 50's and 60's some of the realities were not so pleasant and certainly don't make me want to return to that time. Sure, life was great if you totally conformed to the community standards and never had a family problem. If Mrs. Cheney had been an adult with a lesbian daughter back then, they would have been the town's pariahs. Having a bastard child (the term single mother didn't exist back then) would have really put the icing on the cake. The other nasty items I recall in my childhood in a small town was that people knew there was child abuse, molestation, and wife-beating going on but nobody ever said (except gossip) or did anything about it. Molesters we told to "leave town", but never prosecuted. If people knew you were beating (or sexually abusing) your children or wife, they certainly gossiped about it but never did anything to help. You didn't have to worry about racism....you kept the black (or brown) people on their side of the tracks if you even had any minorities in your community. Life was not that great back then.
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
A trip down memory road, 2007-11-09
Since my husband and I (and my Mother) grew up in the same area this was a wonderful trip down memory lane. She offers many thoughtful insights both on "our times" then as well as now.
16 of 19 people found the following review helpful:
A favorite of mine......, 2007-10-24
Maybe its the fact my families roots go back eight or more generations here in the west (Montana, Sierras of California) that I loved this book and any book that is about the richness and positive aspects of the rural wild west, where personal responsibility, self sufficiency, and common sense are the norm. Even in 2007. I also recommend Justice Sandra Day O'Connors book Lazy B which is about growing up in a cattle family here in the west. Both books show why so many of us call the west home. As well as why the west produces such strong smart women.
Fact is, the west builds character, because of the harsh summers, harsh winters, the need to be prepared because one often goes without power and cannot simply run down the street to a plethora of restaurants or stores. It also as the book notes, builds strong communities. And friendships that last thru thick and thin for decades. People have a tendency to stay put or as the saying goes, to put down roots. And as the author notes, the west makes for secure, thinking people. Quiet people who don't always have to be the center of attention. People who don't easily get flustered when those who denounce them or make fun of them, show up.
This is my favorite book by the author and is one I plan on giving as a gift to friends and family. Sure makes me happy I live here in the real west.
Price is accurate as of the date/time indicated. Prices and product availability are subject to change. Any price displayed on the Amazon website at the time of purchase will govern the sale of this product.
|
Store Categories
|