"Wow!...Great job of bringing this man [Tom] and his times to life...Definitely a winner!" -Megan Smolenyak, chief genealogist for Ancestry.com, author of Who Do You Think You Are?, and consultant to the TV series of the same name. Millions of settlers flocked westward for homesteads, taking advantage of the free land opened to settlement by the expanding railroads. Few remained there, but author Judy Cook's family never lost faith in the land. Cook's Dakota roots inspire this compelling story of her grandparents' ...
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"Wow!...Great job of bringing this man [Tom] and his times to life...Definitely a winner!" -Megan Smolenyak, chief genealogist for Ancestry.com, author of Who Do You Think You Are?, and consultant to the TV series of the same name. Millions of settlers flocked westward for homesteads, taking advantage of the free land opened to settlement by the expanding railroads. Few remained there, but author Judy Cook's family never lost faith in the land. Cook's Dakota roots inspire this compelling story of her grandparents' homesteading experiences in North Dakota. If This Land Could Talk provides a riveting look at three generations of life on the northern plains, where Cook spent her formative years. Her candid portrayal brings to life her four grandparents, who carved a living from the inhospitable prairie, and her parents, who continued to farm on the same land. She offers a poignant yet entertaining glimpse into her ancestors' daily lives. The author recounts growing up on the same land in the 1950s, shaped by a way of life long since vanished. Based on meticulous research, personal experiences, and stories passed from family to family, If This Land Could Talk resonates with a powerful sense of place, an enduring love of the land, and reverence for the family.
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The mood portrayed throughout the book was a strong sense of community. In countless anecdotes, Cook emphasized how the people of Kidder County looked out for one another. One of the opening incidents recounts a tale of a lynching which took place when an outsider killed his estranged wife and her elderly father who was a respected resident of the county. The lynch mob was seeking justice for one of their own.
One of the final incidents detailed by Cook occurred in 1973, when ten convicts escaped from the North Dakota State Penitentiary in Bismarck and traveled through Kidder County on their way to Canada. Two of the escapees wandered onto the farm of one of the neighbors of Judy?s parents. The woman who lived there with her husband was alone and scared. She locked the doors and called her nearest neighbor, the author?s father, who responded by coming to help her. That chapter was very exciting because the reader was not sure of the outcome. It does point out how closely knit this community was.
From the beginning sentences, I enjoyed the presentation of words by the author. She sprinkles just enough interesting and unusual anecdotes with the genealogy of her ancestors. Her narration flows easily even when the subject matter is serious.
Many of the anecdotes are ones Cook remembers her father telling and retelling, so they have become a part of the family?s oral history. When she decided to write the book, Cook researched the lore which had been passed down from generation to generation for its authenticity. Along the way, she obtained many photographs which are relevant to her stories. She shared these in her book. In reading some of the stories of Cook?s four grandparents, the writer takes us into her confidence when we find out some of the family secrets throughout the chapters. This technique keeps us interested because the reader is like a part of the community or family.
A common thread that runs throughout the book is the family?s love and respect for the land. I had the sense that they thought the land would always be there for them, if they could just hang on through this or that difficult situation. The author intimated that the land was unchanging no matter what occurred within the families. It seemed they would do anything to save the family land. It made me wonder if they owned the land or if it owned them! There was definitely a strong bond between land and family.
