Being the start of a new week, Monday's are also a good time to take a look at some of the different stories that can be found on Gay Authors. With so many great works, it can be easy to overlook one and Monday's provide an opportunity for us to help make one of them stand out and maybe catch your interest. Today, we're bringing you a review by Percy of Old Bob's story "Memoirs of a Child of the Past Century." Enjoy!

Reviewer: Percy
Status: In Process

Old Bob’s memoir, Memoirs of a Child of the Past Century, is one of the many treasures to be found on GA. Written with humor and grace, the memoir reveals the intersection of one man’s life with the changing political, economic and social landscape of the 20th century. In lieu of a review, I’ve chosen an excerpt from each decade in order to let Old Bob tell his story in his own words. I made selections I thought the audience here would find interesting and which are reflective of a major event or thought movement of that decade. By way of introducing Old Bob, let’s begin with some remarks from the author himself.

Old Bob was born in Geneva in 1929. Switzerland becomes an island in the middle of a world war as Old Bob enters his teens. Though still a child, he has an active role aiding refugees from the war.

On living in a commune in the 1950s and on marriage between those of different religions:

On childrearing in the 1960s:

For the decade of the 1970s, he intersperses the descriptions of professional life (fascinating and too involved to include here) with references to his personal life. In talking about the traveling he did with his film distribution company in the ‘70s, he shares:

And in the next paragraph…

On the advent of office computers in the ‘80s:

In 1990, his business operations took him to the USSR at what was the very beginning of perestroika, the opening of increased foreign commerce between the Soviet Union and other nations. He shares a highlight of the business trip.

It’s not just life that brushed the major events of the 20th century. Death touched him in the same way. Bob is the father of four children, two of whom are still living. He lost one son to a heart attack, partially attributed to the man having been a two-pack-a-day smoker. He lost his daughter to AIDS which she contracted during a blood transfusion in the early 1980s. The 1980s and 1990s are two decades well within my own memory and both were marked by public campaigns to raise awareness around AIDS, HIV and the effects of smoking.

The memoir is not complete. The last installment ends in 1993. However, in an intervening chapter, Old Bob shares details of his current life. He remains married and devoted to Yvette. There are many grandchildren and great grandchildren. Of his two living children, one is gay and one is straight, and both have established lives with long term partners. Again, to quote Old Bob:

I encourage you to delve into the Memoirs of a Child of the Past Century. The chapters are supported by photos (check out the sweet ride he had in the 1970s!) This is one of the best reads on GA. And Old Bob, I encourage you to keep writing!