The Scrip Road Storybook

About the Book

The tale of The Scrip Road Storybook unfolds with the journey through his young life, from age three to 17, of a Nebraskaland boy into manhood, from the time of the Great Depression until the Greatest Generation during World War II.

The Martinsen family saga is sketched in a colorful portrait of these Depression days: undergoing obstacles, struggles and disappointments suffered, through the eyes of an innocent, hopeful child whose heart and soul gradually harden because of the defeats and set-backs. Yet, in his youthful search for victory, he is beholden with God's grace and blessings. it is a story told with gentle humor and drama.

Although the short novel is fictional, the story (as it unfolds) is laced with factual material from Great Depression events... told in a heart-rendering fashion.

Readers will be enlightened by the Truths discovered during the boy's life. The story's sketches blend physical, mental, psychological, and spiritual states through characterizations; the successes and failures, the happiness and sadness of the depression period are reflected in the young boy's spirit.

Storybook timeline:

1929: stock market crash begins Great Depression.

1929-34: More than half of the elderly retirees fall into poverty.

1935: Congress passes the Social Security Act.

1940: Ida May Fuller receives first Social Security check.

1941: December 7th - Pearl Harbor bombed.

1944: Enlists in Navy.

About the Author

Andrew Clifford Hansen Jr.'s only published work, a short story, (which was given the Dana College Future Author Award in 1947) was published in The Sower.

His first short novel, The Scrip Road Storybook, is only the second published work by the author. His background is that of a public school teacher, coach, athletic director, principal, and school superintendent over a period of 38 years (32 of which were spent as superintendent of small school districts in the state of Nebraska).

Born in 1926, his description of the Great Depression comes from having lived it himself, growing up in a poor family , which faced dire conditions and handicaps prior to the nation's entry into World War II. The result of his life is the qualification as a member of the Greatest Generation.

Following his retirement in 1988, supporters encouraged him to tell the story of the Great Depression as seen through the eyes of a Nebraskaland boy. Events depicted are fictional, but do relate to the depression, factually, to describe the period of time in an honest fashion.

In the storybook, the names of towns and cities, with the exception of Omaha, Nebraska, are fictional - the "scrip road" money; the canning factory; the orchard and syrup factory; the swimming pool events; WPA and CCC federal projects; six-man football; the cabin camp; the Coral Sea battle; and the Lexington aircraft carrier.

In the novel, 23 persons play key roles and influence the protagonist - seven of them are fellow students, seven are in the immediate family, and nine are adults (three of which are favorite teachers).

The author asks you to note the balance between the people influences - this indicates that his 'real' family includes more than just the immediate family.

The author's seven primary purposes for writing the novel are to highlight:

1. The balanced role of family, adults, and fellow students that influence the development of one's whole person.

2. The role of the Holy Spirit working through obedience to the Word - one's person is not moved by human emotion alone, but by His Spirit.

3. To be mature, one must allow emotions, mind and will, to come under the lordship of the Supreme Being in order to be truly spiritual.

4. Be still and rest in the Lord and wait patiently for him to act.

5. In regards to success and destiny, one's thoughts determine one's destiny.

6. In the material world, the local economy is revitalized by the Scrip Road monies.

7. In the spiritual world, a boy's life is revitalized by the Holy Spirit.