Nonfiction Book Reviews

I picked up Once Upon a Town: The Miracle of the North Platte Canteen by Bob Greene because it looked like an uplifting nonfiction book. I seem to be on a depressing streak lately, and I wanted something happier and more upbeat.  From the book flap, this seemed like just the ticket.

It was about a town, North Platte of Nebraska, and their efforts during World War II.  The railroad line from coast to coast ran through the North Platte, and during the war, railroads were how the military shipped their men around.  They had trains full of military personnel run through the North Platte 10, sometimes even 20 times a day.

It was business as usual until one day, when they heard that soldiers from their area were coming through on the train.  Everyone went to meet with train, laden with gifts like cigarettes, magazines, and gum.  When the men got out, it was the wrong company, and the citizens knew none of the soldiers onboard.  After a few awkward moments, the people started giving the soldiers the items they had anyway, and thanking them for their service.

From those humble beginnings, the North Platte Canteen was born.  They started meeting every train every day, no matter what time it was or the temperature outside.  They did this for four years.

And when the soldiers got out to stretch their legs, expecting nothing on the platform but a train conductor, they instead got a large group of women who were ready with sandwiches, milk, coffee, cake, gum, cigarettes, and magazines.  There was a piano and often someone sat down and played while young girls danced with the soldiers.  The stop only lasted 10 minutes, 20 minutes on the outside, but those were some of the most uplifting and happy minutes those soldiers experienced during their service in the military.

Here’s one of the best quotations from the book that sums it all up nicely:

“The men in North Platte were mostly gone, like they were in every town.  That one little town could never have supported the Canteen all by itself.  It had help from all the farm communities, all around the area.  They all came to North Platte to make sure that no train ever went unmet.

“You don’t forget something like that, when you’re overseas.  There was no place else I ever knew of, or ever heard about, that went to that great effort.  A lot of people might be willing to do it.  Or at least they might say they would be willing.  But in North Platte, they did it.” ~”Once Upon a Town,” page 49

I always enjoyed hearing stories from my great-grandmother about “the way it used to be” and so to me, this book was a wonderful read.  I cried a little at the sad stories, I cheered to myself at the happy ones.  It was an inspirational story about how much America and its people truly do care about each other.

If you’re looking for a good patriotic read for this Friday, the 4th of July, look no further than Once Upon a Town.  It will make you laugh, make you cry, and give you just a little more faith in the human race.

I give it 4.5 out of 5 stars.

Hava