Cottonwood Journal IV: October, November, December, 1941

Fifteen year old James Patrick Keller was assigned by, Miss Agus, his teacher at the local one room schoolhouse, the duty of keeping a journal, starting on the first day of 1941. This is the fourth volume of those journals, each covering about three months.His writing style has grown and changed over the year, increasingly descriptive in his efforts to tell more of his story every day.He lives with his mother, Joan, and little sister, Susanne, across the road from the country store his mother manages. ‘Jimmy’ goes to school, and works at whatever jobs come along, many of them involving the store.Before 1941 his world consisted of home, school, church, store, and blacksmith shop. Now, the outside world has intruded into his tiny community of Cottonwood Missouri, and sometimes, he has to write, just to try and understand. Read more