In his moving memoir, Wallen Bean tells the story of his
Appalachian boyhood during the Great Depression, giving us a
glimpse of the "olden days"as they really were. We meet his
extended family and a quirky cast of town characters who nourish
him and give him the solid beginnings a boy needs to go off into
the world. Wallen reaches for a larger life and he finds it, sort
of, in college, where his rough-hewn Appalachian soul, a stunning
combination of true goodness and hayseed naivety, is challenged.
But he endures, even gets a girlfriend, and goes off to Boston
University School of Theology. Wallen's second life is lived as a
Methodist minister in five New England churches. He and his wife
Christine (yes, the same girlfriend) thrive in some parishes, fail
miserably in one. They live in big and small parsonages, become
parents, and learn tough love in dealing with different
congregations. He develops a special talent for working with young
people, a desperate need in 1960s America.Wallen Bean, the social
worker, is coming into full bloom and, again, he reaches out to
change his life. In his third incarnation, Wallen leaves the
ministry and plunges into youth work, from the Job Corps in New
Bedford to Revival House in Fall River, where he works with
troubled young people. Along the way, he finds spiritual
nourishment at the local Friends Meeting, especially the Quaker
belief in the power of small groups. He never quite loses his
Appalachian soul, but he is transformed from uninitiated hillbilly
to one who confronts and negotiates a gritty, heartbreaking world
with wisdom and sophistication. One man's journey honestly told,
even his fish stories.
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