Once Upon a Town : The Miracle of the North Platte Canteen

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Summary: About People Who Made a Difference
Review: Bob Greene, like his fellow Chicagoan, Studs Turkel, knows how to write about people. In "Once Upon a Town: The Miracle of the North Platte Canteen" Greene brings out the humanity of a small, almost forgotten town in the flats of Nebraska.

Across the world, America was fighting in a war, and in America, men were kissing girlfriends and hugging parents good-bye. Some didn't live to come back. In between the tragedy of war, and the sadness of leaving home was North Platte, a town which just happened to be where trains full of soldiers stopped briefly to reload supplies. In WWII the town was booming with commerce, as much as any small town might boom with anything.

Merely being a significant stop might be a story enough, but Greene goes deeper than the train stop, and into the core heart of the town. He discovers the great strides the community made to welcome the soldiers. The soldiers came from places just like North Platte, and most would've given anything to stay home. Duty called them to the war, and North Platte did everything they could to help them get there.

Whether is was the food and kind words, or just the friendship offered, the hospitality North Platte provided extended well beyond the expectations of the usual train stop.

Bob Greene describes the town with color and excitement, and brings us back 60 years. As now, with America again sending young men and women to the front of a complex, violent war, Greene's testimonial of the goodness of one community might spur us on to do likewise, in the context in which we live.

I fully recommend "Once Upon a Town: The Miracle of the North Platte Canteen" by Bob Greene.

Anthony Trendl

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Summary: a Gem from a great journalist
Review: For someone who was born after World War II, Bob Greene, in this book, has a wonderful grasp of and appreciation for what life was like on the Home Front during the War. For those of us who lived through the War, he tells a little-known story about a special place in the heartland, and we are the richer for hearing it. He has visited the places, and talked with many of the people involved...More than that, he makes certain that his readers can see them as well. I have read all of Bob Greene's books, on subjects as diverse as Michael Jordan, his baby girl's first year, and a summer-long 25th reunion of three high school friends. If you know him through his columns in the Chicago Tribune, or his books, you know he is a unique person and writes perfect nearly-poetic prose. I was not disappointed in this book, and don't think you will be either.

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Summary: A Wonderful Gift to America
Review: Got it yesterday, finished it TODAY! Quite possibly the best "feel good" book on the planet. Bob Greene masterfully shares the wonderful gift of the ladies at the North Platte Canteen during World War II with his readers. He takes you along with many of the ladies as they prepare for the troop trains passing through during World War II, with their heavily laden tables of homemade goods and cold milk and grateful appreciation, greeting every single train for 5 years. The emotional reactions of soldiers at the mention of the North Platte Canteen today is very moving, and the reader cannot escape the fact that the canteen workers gained as much from this experience as the 6 million soldiers passing through. They were, after all, doing it for their country. Bob Green captures well a patriotism based upon sacrifice, something that is viewed so differently today. Come to think of it, I don't think one of them used the word sacrifice in describing what they did. It will give you pause but it will also give you a tremendous sense of pride in what Bob Greene rightly calls "the best America there ever was." Kudos to the author for preserving such a wonderful part of our nation's history. Don't miss it!

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Summary: North Platte, my hometown
Review: North Platte is all Bob Greene talks about except it is not isolated nor is it as backwoodsy as one of the reviews you had. We have arts, a college, a wonderful theater with live plays, an interstate that is our road to Denver (3 1/2 hours), Lincoln, NE only 225 miles, Omaha 265. At 75 miles per hour you are there for lunch with no effort. The town has the largest railroad yard in the world, two lakes within an hour for sailing, boating or fishing. We are halfway between Omaha and Denver, President Reagan took time to come and see us. We also have a 10 day celebration of NebraskaLand Days that rivals Cheyenne Frontier Days. I hope that the people who critique are able to visit here and see that we are a thriving community that is not dead on the vine and has much to offer.

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Summary: I will never know
Review: My husband and I listened to this book read on CD by Fritz Weaver as we traveled through Arkansas and Texas in our RV. My husband's father served in the army in those years and we couldn't help but wonder if his dad had experienced the 10 minute stop at the North Platte Canteen. We do not recollect his telling us such a tale.

What a touching story this is, told in the words of Bob Greene, the author and reporter and through the testimony of soldiers and townspeople who lived through those incredible years. My husband's dad is gone, so we will never know if the wonderful folks of North Platte touched his life. But we are richer in having heard the stories told in this book. I recommend this book and believe that reading it will serve as a good illustration for younger people about life in the USA during those very difficult war years.


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Summary: The Heartland
Review: I think that "Once Upon a Town" is a well written and long overdue story. It was a time in America when everything was so bad, yet this small town rose up and made everything so great for all the troops that came through. With everything going on today it is nice to read about people pulling together and supporting each other, even if they didnt agree with the actions being taken.I am from North Platte, so this is touches very close to home, I had family members in the war, and also who helped at the canteen. I am from a younger generation, where most people my age have never seen anything like that. It was nice to read about the past, and for me to realize that the community really hasnt changed that much.I am in the military and everytime i go back i can still see the pride and caring nature of the people who live there. The military is still a huge part of the community. For me this book proves that in an everchanging world of race, relgion, and political beliefs, there are places out there that arent afraid to stand up and sho support for their country, their troops, their friends, their family.

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Summary: Priceless Piece of Americana
Review: A touching story of how one town did more than its patriotic duty by feeding and consoling thousands of troops, and, in doing so, created an American legend that lives on today in the hearts of veterans. A wonderful read.

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Summary: Classic Midwestern Character on Every Page
Review: Bob Greene captures the spirit of community and shared purpose endemic to the Midwestern United States. Mr. Greene is from Ohio and worked as a columnist at the Chicago Tribune. I too was raised in Michigan and Ohio, lived and worked in Chicago and travelled throughout the MidWest. I have lived in Boston for 20 years now and miss the sense of community of the Midwest captured in this book. (see also the book - "Bowling Alone" by Robert Putnam). Mr. Greene was fortunate to interview so many veterans of World War II. Many World War II veterans are passing away each day now and soon none will be around to interview. The nostalgia I felt while reading this book was not just nostalgia for a simpler time, for a World War cannot be a simpler time; but, for a time when sacrifice was shared among many and our communities watched over us. [e-mail]

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Summary: Memories of Small Town America
Review: Having grown up in a small town, this book really hit home about how things have changed.... and not always for the better. The story of Noth Platte is remarkable simply based on the huge number of soldiers who passed through the Canteen when compared to the tiny size of the town's (and surrounding area's) population. Their generosity reflects the way things used to be - when we weren't so busy worrying about ourselves that we failed to see the needs of others.

This is a great book that will bring back memories for many adults, and should be a required reading for teens when learning about the sacrifices made during WWII.

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Summary: Humanity at its best
Review: Mr. Greene did us all a great favor by tracking down this story and writing this book. There is no adequate way to thank the soldiers of WWII for what they did for us, but North Platte came the closest to an adequate thank you.

Mr. Green tells of the resourcefulness of the canteen volunteers in providing food--food not available at army camps, food only available at home--for 6 million soldiers who came through North Platte, Nebraska on the troop trains. Mr. Green interviewed the soldiers and the volunteers. It is such an inspiration and who knows what wonderful events this example of humanity at its best might inspire.

Maybe this book should be required reading in our schools.