E.R.'s Year: 1942 in a small Midwestern Town

It’s 1942. The world has barely recovered from one war, and now finds itself in another. Bombs are exploding, people are dying—and fear, worry, and resentment are being felt the world over.

While soldiers are fighting for their lives on foreign soil, ordinary citizens back home in the United States are struggling with their own challenges, fighting for their livelihoods and the legacies they’ll leave behind. And, even though their actions may not change the face of the globe, these people are significantly changing the lives of those around them.

E. R. Hartman, the superintendent of schools in Burke, South Dakota, was one of those ordinary people. In his roles as family man, teacher, and coach, Hartman was deeply involved in his community of 604 people. His diary from 1942 shows his friends and neighbors on the home front, learning to combine their efforts and cooperate, proving that even in times of war we must find a way to push forward with life and make the best of it, however we can.

A touching piece of nonfiction that reads like a novel, E. R.’s Year is part diary, part memoir, and entirely enriching. Lighthearted, sincere, and realistic, it’s a title not to be missed.