The Back 40

About the Book

Recalling an early upbringing in rural Illinois, the author relates the natural and academic influences on his philosophy beginning as a boy, including hunting, trapping, farming, and living in a small Midwestern community. The people, places, and events characteristic of small town life are recalled with a flair toward humor and an appreciation of times less hectic. Saturday night fish-fry gatherings, oiling the local streets, hunting, gathering natural resources, a myriad of other events comprising the fabric of small-town life intertwine in a story of individual development.

About the Author

A retired anthropologist, Dr. Nixon lives and writes in Southern California, a region known for cultural and linguistic variation. Vocational interests include history, archaeology, linguistics, and the Old West. His approach to writing includes humanistic elements imbedded by a strong education and an occasional professional venture into local history. In The Back 40, he returns to his roots in Central Illinois to tell the story of his small hometown during the 1950s.