Synopses & Reviews
Whether they were actually Hungarian or Bohemian, and#8220;Hunkiesand#8221; or and#8220;Bohunks,and#8221; or even from Eastern Europe at all, to the old ranchers of the Great Plains, the farmers and settlers who moved in and fenced off the open land were no-account and#8220;Honyockers.and#8221; And to Honyockers like David Mogenand#8217;s people, who built lives in the face of great difficulty and prejudice, the name came to bear all the meaning and power of their hard-won home place. It is this sense of place, of tenacious if uneasy belonging, that David Mogen traces through his family history in
Honyocker Dreams.
and#160;Beginning with his fatherand#8217;s reminiscences as he surveys the Montana landscape, Mogen weaves a narrative of memory and history, of the dreams and disappointments of working-class farmers, cowboys, and miners among his ancestors, and of the post-frontier world of Indian reservations and farming towns that endure on the Montana and#8220;Hi-Line,and#8221; the flat expanse of Big Sky country that lies hard against the Canadian border east of the Rockies. From the frontier world of his parents and pioneer ancestors to the boom-and-bust tales about growing up in the small-town world of his own Montana childhood in the 1950s, Mogen travels full circle to recent journeys that reveal the paradoxical burdens and strengths of his fatherand#8217;s cowboy legacy as well as the hidden pain and healing power of his motherand#8217;s homesteading heritage. His is a journey that opens a window on a unique but little-known region of Montana and the West.
Review
“A compelling story and a deeply satisfying read. . . . . Honyocker Dreams provides an introspective glimpse at adventures both large and small, a consuming quest for a sense of place and belonging, and on a large scale, lifes mystery and tragedy.”—Beef Torrey, coeditor of Jim Harrison: A Comprehensive Bibliography, 1964-2008 Nick Bascom - Great Plains Quarterly
Review
“[Honyocker Dreams] has the true feel of human memory, the memory that recognizes past and present and future, but experiences them all at once, in the recalling and retelling of the lifetimes that have touched him.”—Scott P. Sanders, professor of English at the University of New Mexico Beef Torrey
Review
“Mogens story, especially its disruption and unsettling of the idea of home, is both important and new. Often in western American letters, representations swing between the poles of ‘stickers and ‘movers, but Mogen shows that there is another position within the larger narrative. His account of identification and affiliation with place despite the lack of a solid ‘home place adds a key piece to the existing body of literature.”—Nancy Cook, associate professor of English at the University of Montana Scott P. Sanders
Review
"Honyocker Dreams is full of humor, sharp details, clear prose, and reflections on what it means to be a Westerner, past and present."and#8212;Jenny Shank, New West
Review
"David Mogen,and#160;CSU English professor, has penned a realistic memoir that will trigger memories in all, even if you don't know what in the world a honyocker is."and#8212;Nancy Hansford, Coloradoan
Review
"Mogen deftly revisits the geographies of his past, resulting in an eloquent testimony to the grit and aspirations of his parents and his own talent as a lyrical chronicler."and#8212;O. Alan Weltzien, Western American Literature
Review
"I grew up in South Texas, about as far south as one can get from the Hi-Line and still be in the United States. But the book continually brought back memories I didn't even know Iand#160;had about what it was like to be a kid growing up in a small town, where one learns to rely on one's own resources. In Mr. Mogen's fine book, we learn as much about ourselves as we do about him."and#8212;David Crisp, Billings Outpost
Review
"David Mogen offers critical acumen in thrilling anecdotes."and#8212;Nick Bascom, Great Plains Quarterly
Review
"Honyocker Dreams implicitly encourages us to comprehend our origins, to become mindful of the often complex influences of place and people who have shaped us."and#8212;Brian Dillon, Billings Gazette
Synopsis
Whether they were actually Hungarian or Bohemian, Hunkies or Bohunks, or even from Eastern Europe at all, to the old ranchers of the Great Plains, the farmers and settlers who moved in and fenced off the open land were no-account Honyockers. And to Honyockers like David Mogen s people, who built lives in the face of great difficulty and prejudice, the name came to bear all the meaning and power of their hard-won home place. It is this sense of place, of tenacious if uneasy belonging, that David Mogen traces through his family history in Honyocker Dreams.
Beginning with his father s reminiscences as he surveys the Montana landscape, Mogen weaves a narrative of memory and history, of the dreams and disappointments of working-class farmers, cowboys, and miners among his ancestors, and of the post-frontier world of Indian reservations and farming towns that endure on the Montana Hi-Line, the flat expanse of Big Sky country that lies hard against the Canadian border east of the Rockies. From the frontier world of his parents and pioneer ancestors to the boom-and-bust tales about growing up in the small-town world of his own Montana childhood in the 1950s, Mogen travels full circle to recent journeys that reveal the paradoxical burdens and strengths of his father s cowboy legacy as well as the hidden pain and healing power of his mother s homesteading heritage. His is a journey that opens a window on a unique but little-known region of Montana and the West.
"
Synopsis
Honyocker Dreams: Montana Memories dramatizes and#8220;recoveryand#8221; both as healing and as reconstruction of a past that haunts and enriches the present. David Mogenand#8217;s narrative begins with his dying fatherand#8217;s reminiscences as he surveys the Montana landscape, and then weaves through his own memories about the postfrontier world of Indian reservations and farming towns that endure on the Montana and#8220;Hi-Line,and#8221; that flat expanse of Big Sky country that lies hard against the Canadian border east of the Rockies.
Mogenand#8217;s journey of recovery includes heartfelt, often humorous stories defining his familyand#8217;s and#8220;honyockerand#8221; history, shaped by the dreams and disappointments of working-class farmers, cowboys, and miners. The narrative chronicles boom-and-bust tales about growing up in small-town Montana in the 1950s, about the culture shock associated with leaving the Hi-Line in the 1960s, about a healing gift from Blackfeet relatives, and about traveling to Ireland to reflect on family ties to Marcus Daly, Butte, Montanaand#8217;s and#8220;Copper King.and#8221;
and#160;Mogen suggests how the eras of his own childhood and the frontier world of his ancestors have shaped him and our American heritage as we move further into the twenty-first century.
and#160;and#160;
About the Author
David Mogen is professor emeritus of English at Colorado State University. He is the coeditor of several books, including
Frontier Gothic: Terror and Wonder at the Frontier in American Literature, and is the author of
Ray Bradbury and
Wilderness Visions: The Western Theme in Science Fiction Literature.