Wisconsin Logging Camp, 1921: A Novel

by James Bastian

Overview

A beautifully written historical fiction novel set primarily in the north woods of Wisconsin during 1920 and 1921. The narrative entwines the fictional story of an eight-year-old boy, Will, within that period's rich historic context. The story meticulously incorporates the history of logging in Wisconsin, the flu pandemic, Prohibition, World War I, and post-war American culture, specific to that time and place. Will's story reflects the challenges, hardships, and ethnic discrimination faced and overcome by American immigrants, then and now. These themes remain as relevant today as they were in 1920, and portray an archetypal immigrant experience, which is part of the proud, shared heritage of all Americans. The colorful language, rich history, characters, and Wild West atmosphere of the region will appeal to all readers.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781934553541
Publisher:	Bower House
Publication date:	12/15/2015
Pages:	200
Product dimensions:	5.90(w) x 8.90(h) x 0.60(d)

About the Author

Jim Bastian and his wife Carol were born, raised, met, and married in Wisconsin. Jim received a Bachelor’s Degree from Michigan State University. Upon graduation, he taught high school history and psychology, but subsequently converted to capitalism, earned an MBA, and went on to have a thirty-year business career. Jim and Carol spend as much time at their vacation home in Forest County, Wisconsin, as they can.

Editorial Reviews

2020-11-05
In Bastian’s historical novel, an orphaned boy flees war-torn Germany and finds work at a Wisconsin logging camp.

After Will Heinlein’s father dies fighting in WWI, his mother decides they have no future in Germany, and she sets her sights on the United States, where they have family. She dies in transit, however, and so Will arrives in New York in 1920 alone, unable to contact his uncle in Chicago. Fortunately, he meets Deiter Pzybylski, another lonesome traveler, a refugee from Poland who fought in the resistance against Russian occupation. Deiter takes Will under his wing with a casualness that belies the profound depth of his kindness, movingly depicted by author Bastian: “Hey, why not come with me? I’ve always wanted a little brother.” They travel to the frigid Wisconsin wilderness, where Deiter’s brother, Michael, waits for them. Will lands a job as a Chickadee, clearing icy, “serpentine trails” of impediments, including frozen “horse apples,” or turds, with a screwdriver. Once there, Will longs to graduate to the position of logger but has to contend with the perils of the work and environment, including Nyka, a dangerously violent logger. Bastian scrupulously researched historical records to create an impressively authentic portrait of the era. The pace of the plot is unrushed but never lags—Bastian draws the reader too deeply into Will’s cosmos for boredom to ever surface, and one can’t help but root for the protagonist. His prose, straightforward and unembellished but all the more powerful for its reserve, sets an affecting scene: “The more snow Nyka kicked away the clearer it became that it was a small body. I gasped when I realized I was staring into the hollow eye socket of a skull. The top of the skull was covered by a red knit hat.”

A thrilling peek into a portal of history, dramatic and moving.

Kirkus Reviews