"Past Imperfect, Present Progressive" is
a smorgasbord of autobiographical reminiscences by a vocal member
of the Silent Generation. Kerry Wood traces his childhood during
the late Depression and World War II to adulthood and seniority
in stories and poems born of experiences as a four-year-old consigned
to a military boarding school, an awkward adolescent, an undergraduate
at Yale, and a career high-school teacher. This richly blended
potpourri reveals a creative educator's sixty-odd year love affair
with the English language, devotion to wife and family, and fascination
with the rich world of games, sport, travel and the arts.
Enjoy its moments of melancholy punctuating a lifetime
of exuberant playfulness, finding fun in such unlikely places as Shakespearean
tragedy, English grammar, prosody, Scrabble, spelling bees, and service
in the lowest ranks of the U.S. Army.
