One Degree West: Reflections of a Plainsdaughter (First Series:Creative Nonfiction) [Paperback]

Julene Bair (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

"At night we had distant yellow lights to remind us that we did have neighbors, but when those blinked off at bedtime, only the moon and stars penetrated the dark. Coyotes howled in our front yard." This sense of place and isolation frames Bair's account of her childhood in rural Kansas during the 1950s, and it festers during her adult years as she returns to and again leaves these same fallow prairies. She tells the story of her place in a family made up of a father who lives to work the land, of fieldhand brothers with disparate futures, and of a mother who has "a policy of not asking," as well as an extended family of aunts, uncles, and cousins. These 11 carefully crafted essays provide an exploration of the individual as Bair escapes, recaptures, and rebuilds her identity beyond the place where she was raised. Recommended for public libraries and academic libraries supporting creative writing programs.
-Sue Samson, Univ. of Montana Lib., Missoula
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

Bair grew up in western Kansas and left as soon as she was able to do so--vowing, as many plains children do, never to return. But years later, pregnant, alone, and recovering from two consecutive abusive relationships, she came home and began the process of rebuilding and healing her life. In this collection of essays, Bair explores her childhood, adulthood, the difficulty of reconciling the way she was raised with the way she is living, and single parenthood. While the essays do not always pertain to her life as a "plainsdaughter," her upbringing is always at the forefront of who she is and how her character was molded by plains life. These essays are a way for Bair to come to terms with who she is and who she was, and to let go of the mistakes she has made in the past. Though the commentaries could have been self-important and merely cathartic, her writing skills elevate them to the level of small, beautiful vignettes about life. Ellie Barta-Moran
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Product Details

• Paperback: 182 pages
• Publisher: Mid List Pr; 1st edition (April 15, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0922811458
• ISBN-13: 978-0922811458
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.5 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #609,615 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Beautifully written memoir, May 27, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: One Degree West: Reflections of a Plainsdaughter (First Series:Creative Nonfiction) (Paperback)

This is a wonderful book, a clear-eyed exploration of growing up and living in the West. There are many other popular books about the West, including "regional" literature, critical works, and more encompassing work like that of Wallace Stegner, but none examine both the natural and human landscapes with such a blend of careful detail, compassion, intelligence, and personal realism. Ms. Bair explores the landscape, family history, local culture, and her own movements within and beyond those circles with a deft touch, sometimes examining the most intimate of interactions with a dispassionate perspective that's almost unearthly. More than once, the hair stood up on the back of my neck in the wake of her conclusions, and several times I had to stop and catch my breath before continuing on. This book is an outstanding complement to works like "A Thousand Acres" and "Angle of Repose," exploring the West with a rich new voice.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A truly lovely, compelling, and engaging personal history., September 8, 2000

By 

Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: One Degree West: Reflections of a Plainsdaughter (First Series:Creative Nonfiction) (Paperback)

One Degree West is a truly lovely personal history that transcends its genre to become something universal and wondrous. Perhaps the author's intent in writing it was to review and transpose the pain of experience through illuminated sharing. If so, judging from the reader's experience, she succeeds. One Degree West is haunting, tear-drenched, beautiful, and unique. The process of a lifetime of reconciling her culture's unequal gender expectations with her own yearning for a wider scope provides stage and backbone for the painful self- evolving metamorphosis of Julene Blair. Not a comfortable book to read, there is a redemptive undertone always tinged with sadness and beauty present. Though the drifting goal is elusive, the journey is more than worthwhile. One Degree West will appeal to all lovers of the spiritual seeking essay. Its prose poetry lingers in the mind and heart.

Nancy Lorraine, Reviewer

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Book I Wish I'd Written..., June 30, 2000

By 

Joan Shaddox Isom "Joan" (USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: One Degree West: Reflections of a Plainsdaughter (First Series:Creative Nonfiction) (Paperback)

A book about the high plains? It is and it isn't. It's about family, breaking away, facing conflict, and finally, coming home. And so beautifully written. I'm keenly interested in personal essays and in the plains, so I was enchanted as soon as I opened the book. I confess I bought it for a friend, but after letting it go, I ordered another. It is a book to read and keep and cherish. It is a book to give to someone you cherish. And I do envy (and congratulate)this author's skill.