An Island In Time is a wonderful reminiscence of growing up on
Washington state's Puget Sound during a most interesting, confusing
and exciting decade in the 20th century, the 1940's. World War II
flavored daily life for half of the decade. It was an era of: warriors,
warships, rationing, Victory gardens, BB guns, sling shots, radio, 78rpm
records, big bands, black and white movies, 4-lane highways, 2-lane
roads, Burma Shave signs, train travel, penny postcards, nickel Cokes
and ugly cars. This is a book which could be titled 'Everyboys Odyssey
Through the 1940's,' about a boy who grows up throught World War II
and afterwards, making the most of the snips and snails of youth. Summers
and weekends are spent in a 56.5 acre community on a small island. The
"neighborhood" consists of eight houses, three farms, a dock, a general
store and post office, a church and an Indian grave island. The boy's
1890 waterfront house, with hand-dug cellar, sits on a 12-acre farm.
Neighbors and other permanent residents consist of a "different breed
of cat" who seem stuck in the past, and make for some interesting stories.

In the foreward of the book, listed under the heading 'Fox Island's Claims to Fame' is a picture of movie actor Spencer Tracy on Fox Island in 1921. The reason Mr. Tracy was on Fox Island is that he and my father were high school (Northwestern Military & Naval Academy) roommates and then college roommates in a small Wisconsin college (Ripon). My father became like a second son to the Tracy family, and my father's mother and father invited Spencer to spend a month with them on Fox Island to repay the Tracy family's kindness.
By the way, Spencer Tracy was my mother's first date at the Wisconsin college. My father was playing in the dance band, and when there was a break, Spencer introduced his date to my dad, My mother and father remained friends with Tracy and his wife, and exchanged Christmas cards until he died.

Don Edgers (the author) grew up in Washington state's Puget Sound during the 1940's, spending 60 years (35 years with his wife, Carolyn, on Fox Island. He graduated from the University of Puget Sound (in Tacoma) and the University of Washington, becoming a high school teacher of a variety of subjects for 30 years (28 years at North Kitsap in Poulsbo and 2 years at Life Christian Academy in Tacoma). He and his wife moved off Fox Island in 2000 and currently live in Port Orchard.

A Few Reviews

"Don Edgers's reminiscences in An Island In Time offers and immersion in America in the 1940's - in this case an island in Washington's Puget Sound. Whether you want to learn what it was like or simply remember it, Edgers's book will do the trick. With his impressive memory for detail, he creates a vivid picture of a time and a place you'll want to visit."
                                                                              Rob Woutat, author of Dakota Boy

"Here's a unique tale of the American scene during the 1940's through the eyes of a young boy."
                                                                             Writers Club Press, N.Y.

"Don Edgers repudiates the currect trend in some autobiographies that focuses on destructive relationships and damaged characters. Instead, he recounts the adventures of three brothers growing up in a loving family 'during a dysfunctional time in history.' An Island In Time, told with fondness and wit, provides literary snapshots of the not-so-distant past. It's surprising how much our way of life has changed in a mere half-century."
                                                                             The Bookmonger - Tacoma News Tribune

"Humorous and nostaglic. After reading the book, I'm convinced An Island In Time will become a Northwest classic !"
                                                                              J.A. Mikkelborg - Artist

"Every step backwards in to (Edgers's) childhood on the island, described in clear and simple detail, makes his first person perspective a very open and inviting book. It's Normal Rockwell reduced to words, with a Tom Sawyer sort of tone."
                                                                              Jon Hahn, Seattle P-I

"Dear Mr. Edgers,
       Many thanks for your masterful chronicling of the 1940's in particular and your characterizations of the children of that era. Your lingo of that period was particularly touching. Rarely have I seen the flavor and interests of early childhood so vividly represented. Happy and heart-warming memories were evoked in your book. Again, thanks for tthe happiness I've enjoyed - yes, and tears shed - in reading your great, pains-taking Puget Sound Book.
                                                                 Sincerely,
                                                                              Thurston Griggs, Ph.D. playwright and author of
                                                           "One Man's Window on the 20th Century"

"This well written, descriptive and humorous childhood memoir kept my attention to the end. I grew up during the 1940s in South Africa and many of the author's experiences transferred to the experiences I had. There are many wonderful experiences and people unique to Edgers's life on Fox Island during the 1940s. If you want to read about how a typical America boy lived on a small island in America - read this book."
                                                                              Ian Uys, author of South African Military Books

"A Unique Insight.
      Don seems to have captured the essence of his childhood. In a special way he seems to be able to communicate the very enjoyment and experiences of growing up through his words, and in doing so, brings the reader closer to his nostalgic life ! Superb !!! I wish one day to remember with such clarity and description, memories of my chilhood."
                                                                              Mark Jackson, Scottish Poet