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Reviews
MY MONTANA: A HISTORY AND MEMOIR, 1930–1950
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by Jewel Lansing
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| Inkwater Press, Portland, Oregon, 2007. Illustrations, photographs, maps, notes, bibliography, index. 297 pages. $22.95 paper. |
| Jewel Lansing's My Montana: A History and Memoir, 1930–1950 provides a nice snapshot of homestead and rural Montana life by intertwining personal memories with secondary sources. Lansing's inspiration was her mother's admonishment, "Never marry a farmer; the life of a farmer's wife is too hard" (p. ix). She captures life in rural Montana through her vivid descriptions of the "universe" that, for her, "was a safe and comfortable one — a world of innocence and old-fashioned morals" (p. ix). In many respects, her memoir resembles an oral history that is full of information presented in a nonlinear format. While some readers may find that style cumbersome, for me, it provided a touch of authenticity. |
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Lansing introduces readers to her maternal and paternal families, outlining the events that drew them together on the Flathead Indian Reservation during Montana's homestead boom in the 1910s. From there, she draws readers into her world with the 1917 marriage of her parents Lars Beck and Julia Syla. She uses the opening chapter to describe her immediate family members and the influence they had on her while she was growing up. Especially poignant are her descriptions of her parents. Lansing writes unabashedly, "I loved my mom and relied on her, but at the same time I did not want my life to mimic hers. I yearned for the kind of respect my dad had" (p. 11). Subsequent chapters provide a description of life in rural Montana, including the challenges they faced during the difficult times of the Great Depression, the anxiety and opportunity afforded with the United States' entry into World War II, and the social complexities of growing up in Round Butte, from the vantage point of an adolescent. |
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For those of us who have parents that grew up during the Depression, Lansing's stories have a familiar ring. Those readers who are two or more generations removed from the events Lansing describes in My Montana, however, may experience an emotional detachment with her narrative. This might cause them to judge Lansing's work as lacking in substance, especially when paired with the strong nostalgic thread that permeates the book. |
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In some instances, that nostalgic thread does become oppressive, such as in chapter 5 — "A Tour of the Farm" — where Lansing takes readers, almost literally, on a tour of the Beck family environs. Her "come with me now" statements detract from rather than add to the authenticity she is seeking (p. 50). The least appealing chapter of the book proved to be chapter 12, "Native American Friends and Neighbors." Where previously she had relied on secondary sources to provide context to her personal narrative, here she relies almost exclusively on secondary sources about Salish, Kootenai, and Pend d'Oreilles peoples, with only a few personal insights sprinkled in for effect. |
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The fact remains that My Montana is a very nice glimpse into a past that is equal parts alien and familiar to us all. Who has not obsessed about their appearance during high school or overindulged in a candy bar and soda pop binge while at the same time experimenting with alcohol and tobacco? They are adolescent adventures we have all imbibed. |
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| Rich Aarstad
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| Montana Historical Society, Helena |
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