Up
Where the House Burned Down is a new book by Rev. Eric Wilbra Bascom,
Jr. The author's grandparents died of the measles when his father was fourteen.
The oldest boy was sixteen, and the three younger children eleven, seven
and two. It's a family story about tough times and the faith that holds
life together.
What happens to a young family when the parents die and the bottom of life drops out? What happened here is a saga of stubborn youth, grinding labor, frustrating obstacles, and surprising victories -- all in respnose to an upward call that would not be denied. The oldest two kept diaries, which embrace most of the twentieth century. This is their story, the account of a stricken family which stands fast and hangs on with their own rugged faith, a motivating memory for generations yet to come.
Barbara Akerman in Book Notes writes of Up Where the House Burned Down, "An amazing story of faithfulness and persistence, a good social history of the 20th century agrarian nothern New England. It is a kind of "roots" book for us in our present-day... churches. It is also well-written, and a good read."
Richard W. Cowles writes, "It is a story so true to life that I almost couldn't finish pages 281 and 282 because of the tears that filled my eyes. I seemed to be right there with Eric Bascom on his last visit to his sugar house."