The Blue Hen's Chick: A Life in Context

261 pp. "A. B. Guthrie's story is in the great American tradition: no other time and no other land could have produced him, and nowhere else in the world could he have written the books that brought him the fame and success he worked so hard for, dared to dream of, and finally deserved. The Blue Ilea's Chick is his autobiography, the life of a man whose roots are in the unspoiled land, who learned his craft the hard way, and who succeeded on his own terms. The son of a relatively poor schoolmaster, Guthrie made his own breaks and, in the process, created the kind of friendships that have endured - wonderful friendships with colorful people who-fill the pages of this joyous book. He recalls his boyhood in Montana-a life of almost pioneerlike austerity, but highly congenial for an active youngster. He does not sentimentalize his early years, but he fully acknowledges the character-building elements of his uniquely American upbringing. He tells of his wanderings as a young man during the Depression, trying to find work in Mexico, California, New York, and Pennsylvania."