James Agee (27 September, 1909 – 16 May, 1955) was an award winning author, poet, screenwriter, film critic and journalist from Tennessee.

Robert Ruark (29 December, 1915 – 1 July, 1965) was an American author, columnist and hunter who wrote about his experiences. Image from https://www.africahunting.com/ Books by Robert Ruark* 1) Born in Wilmington, NC the family was hit hard by the Great Depression, but still managed to send the author to college, at age 15. 2) Contrary to popular belief, the author did not graduate with a degree in journalism from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He did take a lot of journalism classes, and did graduate. 3) In 1936 Mr. Ruark moved to Washington DC and was hired as a copy boy for The Washington Daily News. Within a few months, he became the paper’s top sports reporter. 4) Serving in the US Navy during World War II, Mr. Ruark was an ensign and served ten months as a gunnery officer. 5) Mr. Ruark’s newspaper columns were collected into two books, I Didn’t Know It Was Loaded (1948) and One for the Road (1949). 6) Being a successful writer allowed the author to fulfill a lifelong wish and go on a safari to Africa. During his trip he was paired with a guide named Harry Selby because…

Gustaf Tenggren (3 November, 1896 – 9 April, 1970) was an illustrator born in Sweden, but lived most of his life in the United States. 1) Born in Sweden, Mr. Tenggren got a painting scholarship to the art school in Gothenburg. 2) He was a successful illustrator specializing in Swedish folklore and fairy tales. 3) By 1920, after a successful first exhibition, Mr. Tenggren moved to Cleveland, Ohio with his sister. In 1922 he moved to New York City. 4) The early 1920s were the heyday of illustrated books and the talented Mr. Tenggren’s work was already appearing in published books. 5) He also did a lot of advertising work until the great depression. 6) In 1936, Mr. Tenggren was hired by Walt Disney Productions as chief illustrator on Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. 7) As a concept artist he worked closely with the animators. He also illustrated many of the tie-ins to the film such as the serialized version of Snow White which was featured in two successive issues of Good Housekeeping Magazine before the film was released. He also worked on Bambi, Pinocchio, The Ugly Duckling and The Old Mill (backgrounds on the last two). 8) After…

Art Buchwald (20 October, 1925 – 17 January, 2007) was an American writer best known for his humorist column in the Washington Post, which was syndicated in many other newspapers and a published more than 30 books. Books by Art Buchwald* 1) Mr. Buchwald was born in New York City and had a pretty rough childhood. The family’s curtain manufacturing business failed during the Great Depression and he was put in the Hebrew Orphan Asylum before moving through several foster homes. 2) The family eventually reunited but it seemed that the young man still had a tough time, he ran away from home at age 17, never finishing high-school. 3) He wanted join the Marines when World War II started, but was too young. Never to be underestimated, he bribed a drunk with half a pint of whiskey to sign as his legal guardian. He served for three years, two of them in the Pacific and was honorably discharged as a sergeant. 4) Even though he didn’t have a high school diploma, Mr. Buchwald was still enrolled in the University of Southern California, Los Angeles upon his return from the war on the G.I. Bill. Because he had not graduated high school he was…

The book is not an in depth look at the war, but it’s a wonderful introduction to the culture and people of the time.

Joining the Army to get away from the depression, 25 year-old Felix Spars arrives in Italy as a captain in the 157th Infantry Regiment of the 45th Division – the Thunderbirds. Sparks proves to be a natural leader and a man of high intelligence, moral and respectability leading his men in 4 amphibious invasions, through the rough mountainous terrains of Italy and France and winter combat against the SS on the German border.

I’m a bit of a political junky! I’m not as bad as I used to be because, to be honest, the more attention I pay the more I realized how screwed we’re getting by those in power (this is more true on a local level than the federal one). Election season is interesting, the lies, deceits, half truths and obscene amounts of money spent are jaw dropping. Frankly, I cannot see any difference in political ideology or major policies between Obama and Romney. I actually think that the staunch Republicans and staunch Democrats are not seeing a thing beyond an elephant’s ass and a donkey’s tail. After all, Obama (in the role of “The Liberal”) has governed like a conservative Republican – right of center. Romney (in the role of “The Conservative”) has governed left of center previously. So actually, the Republicans should be rooting for Obama, while the Democrats should be supporting Romney. But what do I know…? At the time of this post, the books below were free or $0.99 — please check before downloading. Authors: If you’d like your book to be fea­tured on Tight­wad Tues­days please email me. Freedom Island by J.R. Sinclair American taxpayers begin disappearing…….

William Saroyan was born this day, 31 August 1908 (d: 18 May 1981); he was a prolific writer of immigrant parents who based many of his stories on his childhood experiences during the Great Depression as well as the rootlessness of immigrants. Mr. Saroyan is known for his short stories and insightful texts. He won a Pulitzer Prize for for his play The Time of Your Life (1939). Books by William Saroyan 1 ) Saroyan’s was left fatherless at the tender age of 3. He was raised in an orphanage along with his brother and sister. 2 ) After his mother reunited the family, Saroyan helped out by selling newspapers at age eight. 3 ) After he saw his father’s writing, Saroyan decided to become a writer. 4 ) The first stories Saroyan wrote appeared in Overland Monthly, some under the name Sirak Goryan . 5 ) My Name is Aram, a short story collection, was published in 1940 and became an international best seller. 6 ) Saroyan’s breakthrough story The Daring Young Man on the Flying Trapeze (1934) takes its name from a 19th Century song. 7 ) During World War II Saroyan served in the US Army and…

For two days starting this Friday and ending Saturday night, James Conroy’s novel ‘Literally Dead‘ will be available as a free download in Amazon’s Kindle stores around the world. In the midst of the Great Depression, one man must do battle against corruption with nothing but his wits and a host of great literary figures… Amos Jansen is merely a clerk. He is not a crime fighter, the next great writer, or a man of privilege. He is the humble employee of a Chicago literary society. That is, until he is arrested for murder. The scapegoat of a perfidious lieutenant, Jansen stands wrongly accused while his idols rally around him. Literary personalities the likes of Ernest Hemingway, Carl Sandburg, Edna St. Vincent Millay, Nelson Algren, and H.L. Mencken, as well as civil liberties war-horse Clarence Darrow, join Amos in his search for the real murderer of both the society’s vice-chairman and his own father. Will the pen prove mightier than the sword? Will mercenary police, politicians and money-barons meet with justice? Or will Jansen fail to solve the mystery and wind up literally dead?

Nothing is easier than writing a description for a new setting or dialogue for a well-established character when you feel connected to your creative streak.