Pleasant Valley Lost brought back a lot of memories and a great deal of nostalgia. I spent the first ten years of my live on a dairy farm in central Kansas. My father was put out of business because of two recreational dams built northwest of our farm very effectively cutting off our water supply. We received no compensation because our farm didn't end up underwater. My father harbored the same resentment against the Army Corp of Engineers, and to this day, I feel a sense of loss. I had forgotten about the water witch – my Dad was not one, but when things started to get bad, he hired one with the hope he would find water. That, unfortunately, didn't happen. I remember the butchering house, and our farmhouse had no indoor plumbing, so carrying water from the pump was always a priority. Joseph Swope has written a marvelous book about his family history and that of Pleasant Valley. He also brings to light the travesty that was, and in some cases still is, the Army Corp of Engineers. I truly enjoyed reading about Joe's childhood, although I am not a baseball fan. I could see why he's woven the game into his book, so I found it easy to skip those parts and still get the main story. Joe’s book gave me pause for reflection and left me wondering where I would be now had we not been forced to leave the farm. Overall, a really good read -a lot of humor, some sadness, with the history of the area woven throughout. I would recommend Pleasant Valley Lost to anyone who is interested in 20th Century US history.
~ Linda Thompson, Host of TheAuthorsShow.com ( )