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Fond memories of high school days Jan 17, 2007
Reviewed by Debra Gaynor for Reader Views (1/07)
In "High Plains Camelot," Joe L. Davenport reminisces about the good old days. Unlike many people he looks back at his high school days fondly. He does not attempt to write a history and does not claim this book to be totally factual. These are his memories and told from his perspective.
Joe's family moved to Rawlins, Wyoming when he was in the fourth grade. "Even after two world wars, the pioneering and western flavor of Rawlins was still there if only in the nature of the people and their lives." His obvious love of the town shines through in his writing. "The indomitable spirit of the West, Wyoming, and Rawlins that I carry with me, never changes and wherever I have gone, I always think of Wyoming as my original home, and Rawlins, my hometown."
The title of this book is intriguing. Eagerly I delved inside. I wanted to know why Mr. Davenport compared his hometown to Camelot. He quickly convinced me that yes, he did grow up in Camelot. The stories of his dog Wally and friend Neil are humorous and touched my heart. I particularly enjoyed the photographs Mr. Davenport included in his memoirs. The photos add dimension to his book, assisting the reader in imagining what life was like in Rawlins. Joe Davenport is a talented writer with an ability to make words jump off the page. Images of his youth danced before my eyes as I quickly turned the pages to see what adventures he would tell of next. I would think his classmates would be proud to know how they are remembered. I highly recommend "High Plains Camelot."
High Plains Camelot:: A Rawlins High School Memoir Jan 10, 2007
This brought back my own memories of that time in my life. I recalled
the same feelings of uncertainty about life, love, adventure, friendships,
family and falling in and out of first loves. Of course adults called
those relationships crushes, but as 15, 16, and 17 year olds, we who lived them knew it was love. I was privileged to have wonderful friends
during that time of my life as did the author, and many of those friends
are still close. My own high school years were divided into two separate
times as my father was transferred between my sophomore and junior years
of high school. I thought my life was over when I left my sophomore boy
friend and moved over 1,000 miles away. I found friends in my new town
very quickly but the old love didn't fade very quickly as did the loves
of the author. Each summer I went back to my home town and found that I
had gradually outgrown the first love, so I was able to enjoy my new loves much easier.
As the grandmother of a 22 year old grandson, I was able to help him get over the breakup of his first love which started as a junior in
high school. Times may change but feelings and emotions during the teen
years pretty much are the same today as in yesteryear.
This author described the respect we had for authority, whether it be
toward our parents, teachers, employers or our elders in general. It was
just the way we lived life.
I loved especially, his stories about he and his buddy "ditching Wally".
Great book!
A quixck and Easy read Sep 26, 2006
The Authors skill in using the proper word or phrase at precisely the right moment adds just the right amount of color allowing him to weave an interesting tale of the development of a person. He instantly draws you draws you into the story allowing the reader, throug his eyes, to experience first hand the physical, mental and emotional aspects of growing up in a small rural comminity. He gives the reader a glimpse into the important and vital role family, friends, events and the community all play in the development of a persons' character. An interesting and delightful story we can all relate to!
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