Posts of a Mid-Century Kid

Doing My Best, Having Fun

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Pub Date 24 Oct 2021 | Archive Date 24 Oct 2021

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Description

Anderson takes us on a journey to 1950s and 60s Kansas and treats the reader to hometown cooking in her tasty memoir Posts of a Mid-Century Kid. With humor and richly crafted details, she chronicles her mid-century childhood, offering a sampling of another era. This delightful and mischievous memoir advocates coloring vividly outside of the lines!

A fun exploration of vintage toys, traditional festivities and personal growth into adulthood when life was “easy.” Ann vividly describes the beauty of the prairie state and the restorative impact of nature in her life. Summers spent at her grandparents’ farm, growing up with cousins, and family reunions offer a connection to the halcyon days of the mid-century.

Ann is grounded in her sense of place and the reader will experience the tall grass prairie and the never-ending horizon that Ann shares so beautifully. Through her words, we are transported to the big red barn on her grandparents’ farm, to the garden where her grandmother picked sweet red raspberries, and to the beauty of small moments

Posts of a Mid-Century Kid takes the reader on a comforting journey to the farm pond with a cane pole and a can of worms, summer vacations in Colorado, waiting for the seed catalogue with grandmother, and the joy of eating ‘rainy day’ popcorn balls with mom during a Kansas thunderstorm.

Ann offers generous helpings of comfort-food-reading as she shares family stories and recipes of prize desserts prepared for generations, and gives second servings of hope and strength in the form of experiences shared, and the memories she stirs into her words.

A life this rich also includes heartache. Ann speaks frankly of the loss of her mom and brother at a young age and the challenge of growing up with a father who never became involved in her life. She generously shares how she’s created a family from friends, a joyful marriage, and a bond with cats throughout her life.

Anderson takes us on a journey to 1950s and 60s Kansas and treats the reader to hometown cooking in her tasty memoir Posts of a Mid-Century Kid. With humor and richly crafted details, she chronicles...


Advance Praise

“I thoroughly enjoyed Posts of a Mid-century Kid, a charming, heartwarming, emotional collection of memories that shows what growing up in the 1950s was like. From Anderson’s childhood came a lifelong love of family, tennis, cats, and Kansas. From her young friends, she learned the mysteries and misinformation of where babies come from and engaged in grooming experiments gone bad. She struggled with her parents’ divorce and an absentee father, along with other losses. However, Anderson found her way through both the happy and sad of life with her mother’s words to guide her: Do your best. Have fun. It is a message for all of us.”

— Hazel Hart, author of the Pierce Family Saga historical fiction series

“For readers who long for the comforting beauty and companionship found in everyday life, Ann Anderson’s reflections speak. Her poetic, intimate daily writings combine uplifting reflection and keen observation. The nice tapestry of impressions could remind one of the Transcendentalist writings in America before the Civil War.”

—Nancy Steere Yacher, Lawrence, Professor Emeritus, English, University of Kansas

Anderson delivers a memoir that is at once humorous, poetic, and vulnerable. An excellent read.

— Patty Reece, owner of The Volland Store

“Posts of a Mid-Century Kid evoked such vivid images that I could actually hear the raindrops falling and smell the cinnamon rolls baking. ...This book was a wonderful gift, as I relived many of my own memories.”

— Tonnie Furjanic, Las Vegas, Nevada

“I could feel the gentle breeze of the Kansas prairie in Ann Anderson’s book, Posts of a Mid-century Kid. In this time that has been tumultuous and isolating, you will feel like you have been wrapped in a warm hug while meandering through the book. Ann’s book is a gift of the peaceful time in our world for all ages to enjoy.”

— Kim Kaiser, Denver, Colorado

“... an ideal bedtime/nightstand book. I am putting this on my gift list. Your writing is a gift to be shared. I am even more impressed with the book’s organization. It’s an emotional rollercoaster in the best sense of the word. Painful posts are side by side with joyful ones. It is a beautiful book and I think it will resonate.”

— Jill Fisher Granek, Long Beach, CA

“Posts of a Mid-century Kid is truly is a snapshot of mid-century life.”

— Pam Sumner, St. Mary’s, KS

“This book is a precious jewel with more facets than the Hope diamond and should not be read in one sitting. Reading as many as 10 pages or less allows one the feel, the texture of life for a mid-century kid. I wanted more time to see your bright colors, hear the gravel crunch under your feet walking up the driveway, feel the sun on my face in the early spring, smell the roses and prairie aromas that only exist in middle American, more time to ponder your mother and grandmother’s sayings and quotes. I wanted to smell the wood on your doll cradle and feel the grain that had been sanded and stained. I wanted to be a fly on the wall and listen to your care and feeding of your nieces and nephew. If I had to sum up your book in one word, it would be texture.”

— William Cockrell, Gulf Shores, Alabama

“What a wonderful book. It evoked so many feelings. Parts of the book are like an original comedy routine…offering Mike three $1.00 bills for his two $2.00 bills. The Husband Book, Vann’s Christmas pig, and collecting rolly polleys so they make ice cream. I am struck by the universal experiences of mid-century kids…one-inch Avon lipsticks, transistor radios, bicycles with playing cards clipped to the spokes, playing outside with neighborhood friends until time for bed. So many unbelievable experiences…seeing Muhammad Ali, eating dinner with Miss American, being robbed at the steak house. All of it wrapped in nostalgia that makes your throat feel so tight and it makes tears squeeze out of your eyes.”

— Katy Weir, Topeka, KS

“Through Anderson’s writing, I can feel the prairie’s soft breeze hit my cheeks, watch as gigantic thunderstorms roll in and hear the refreshing rain heal my soul.”

— Nancy Johnson, Topeka, KS

“Posts of a Mid-Century Kid is WONDERFUL!! Reading the book brought laughter, tears, and a time of reconnecting with some of my childhood memories. I look forward to reading the book again and again and again.

— Tina Markham, Wichita, KS

“I thoroughly enjoyed Posts of a Mid-century Kid, a charming, heartwarming, emotional collection of memories that shows what growing up in the 1950s was like. From Anderson’s childhood came a...


Marketing Plan

Ann Anderson has a full schedule of events planned for fall 2021, and would be happy to add additional book club appearances to her busy schedule.

Ann Anderson has a full schedule of events planned for fall 2021, and would be happy to add additional book club appearances to her busy schedule.


Available Editions

ISBN 9781941237748
PRICE $9.99 (USD)

Available on NetGalley

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Send to Kindle (EPUB)

Average rating from 11 members


Featured Reviews

A charming ramble of childhood memories, interspersed with thoughts about present-day life. The author mentions that this is a collection of Facebook posts, which she was encouraged to collect into a book. I'm always cheered by a collection of memoirs, as I know these books become a treasure for the immediate family, and give a glimpse of life in a certain time and place to readers. Those who recall the 1950s and 1960s will find points of connection. Readers who grew up in Kansas will enjoy this book too,

My thanks to author Ann Vigola Anderson, Anamcara Press, and NetGalley for allowing me to read a digital advance review copy of this book. This review is my honest and unbiased opinion.

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As a “Mid-Century Kid” myself, I liked author Ann Vigola Anderson’s snapshots of her life, both past and present. Subtitled “Doing my Best, Having Fun”, the author sprinkles thoughts of joy and happiness from the past to the present.

She loves her home state of Kansas and she vividly give readers a lovely sense of place. She seems to have always appreciated the natural world, In fact she felt so connected to Kansas that she gave up on the idea of retiring to a warmer clime. A great love for her husband and family has also anchored her life.

Her voice is positive, thoughtful and encouraging. The book is a compilation of Facebook posts, so while each individual post is a gem, this is more a book to browse through or to read and relax with for a pleasant moment. My thanks to author Ann Vigola Anderson, Anamcara Press, and NetGalley for a digital advance review copy of this book. This review is my honest review.

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Anderson strung together previous social media posts to offer vignettes of her life in Kansas. She talks a lot about her childhood, brother, other, and her grandparents. She had a wholesome typical Midwestern upbringing that gave her solid roots. Although she has lived in other places, the prairies and wide open spaces of Kansas kept calling her home. It’s a nostalgic look at a time that was easy, simple, and placid.

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