Grampa's Left Arm and Other Stories

Tracing My Immigrant Roots from Galicia to Pennsylvania

Nonfiction, History, Americas, United States, 20th Century
Cover of the book Grampa's Left Arm and Other Stories by Jim Tirjan, iUniverse
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Jim Tirjan ISBN: 9781491701928
Publisher: iUniverse Publication: August 27, 2013
Imprint: iUniverse Language: English
Author: Jim Tirjan
ISBN: 9781491701928
Publisher: iUniverse
Publication: August 27, 2013
Imprint: iUniverse
Language: English

A memoir and a history, Grampas Left Arm tells the story of Jakob Tirjan and Annie Kaufold, immigrants who settled in southeastern Pennsylvania in the early 1900s. Their village on the Austro-Hungarian eastern frontier faded into history when the province of Galicia came under Polish rule after WWI.

The Authors curiosity about the origins of his name led him to explore Eastern Europes troubled twentieth century history and the societal transformations which shaped his political perspective of the United States. Ethnic clashes, the Red Scare, the KKK, fair wages and strikes, even the Business Plot were all heated topics around the dining table. These arguments planted the seeds of curiosity about the origin of his name. No one in his family knew for sure if Grampa Tirjan was really Austrian, as he claimed, or exactly where he had come from. But they all agreed that greedy captains of industry and politicians had their own interests at heart and working men and women had to look out for themselves.

Jim Tirjans post-WW II all-American boyhood echoed many of the major events of the century: wars, the Depression, Communist spies, the isolation of rural life, lives painfully disrupted in modern industrial society and our fascination with and dependence on the automobile. Grampa Tirjan labored at Baldwin Locomotive Works while Grandma Annie ran a boarding house. Jims mother bought a new 1931 Plymouth for $530 with housekeeping wages. Jim picked string beans with prisoners and earned a masters degree. His story is told with humor and compassion and a great appreciation for the forces of history we ignore at our peril. Was Grampa Tirjan really an Austrian? Indeed and then some.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

A memoir and a history, Grampas Left Arm tells the story of Jakob Tirjan and Annie Kaufold, immigrants who settled in southeastern Pennsylvania in the early 1900s. Their village on the Austro-Hungarian eastern frontier faded into history when the province of Galicia came under Polish rule after WWI.

The Authors curiosity about the origins of his name led him to explore Eastern Europes troubled twentieth century history and the societal transformations which shaped his political perspective of the United States. Ethnic clashes, the Red Scare, the KKK, fair wages and strikes, even the Business Plot were all heated topics around the dining table. These arguments planted the seeds of curiosity about the origin of his name. No one in his family knew for sure if Grampa Tirjan was really Austrian, as he claimed, or exactly where he had come from. But they all agreed that greedy captains of industry and politicians had their own interests at heart and working men and women had to look out for themselves.

Jim Tirjans post-WW II all-American boyhood echoed many of the major events of the century: wars, the Depression, Communist spies, the isolation of rural life, lives painfully disrupted in modern industrial society and our fascination with and dependence on the automobile. Grampa Tirjan labored at Baldwin Locomotive Works while Grandma Annie ran a boarding house. Jims mother bought a new 1931 Plymouth for $530 with housekeeping wages. Jim picked string beans with prisoners and earned a masters degree. His story is told with humor and compassion and a great appreciation for the forces of history we ignore at our peril. Was Grampa Tirjan really an Austrian? Indeed and then some.

More books from iUniverse

Cover of the book Charm City’S Blue Justice by Jim Tirjan
Cover of the book Life Rocks! by Jim Tirjan
Cover of the book The Heretic's Guide to Best Practices by Jim Tirjan
Cover of the book Dream Lover by Jim Tirjan
Cover of the book A Fierce Local by Jim Tirjan
Cover of the book Abandoned by Jim Tirjan
Cover of the book St. Paul the Apostle by Jim Tirjan
Cover of the book Poems by Clarice by Jim Tirjan
Cover of the book Blue Period in Seattle by Jim Tirjan
Cover of the book A Marriage Rooted in Evil, Lust, Lies, and Money by Jim Tirjan
Cover of the book On Making Love by Jim Tirjan
Cover of the book Hollywoodaholic by Jim Tirjan
Cover of the book Arsenic, Selenium, Antimony Ultra-Trace Analysis by Jim Tirjan
Cover of the book Toby and the Greatest Game by Jim Tirjan
Cover of the book Suspended by Jim Tirjan
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy