March review: "Never Summer: A Thousand Rainbows"

Some of my friends have called me a "keeper of stories," and as much as I take pride in that title, I don't feel as though I've lived enough to be a keeper of my own stories yet. Instead, I collect others', and at opportune times might whip one out-there's something about finding a spark of adventure in seemingly pedestrian accounts of daily life, and it's those stories I find most intriguing.

That's why I enjoyed local author and former journalist Stan Nicholas' account of his early years in Never Summer: A Thousand Rainbows. Nicholas grew up in a small town in Iowa where his father was a teacher, but unlike many other midwestern children growing up in the 1950s, Nicholas, with his parents and three sisters, became migrant farm workers every summer. So much has happened to him in his 80-plus years traveling around the country, even the parts of the book that were a little slower-paced maintained interest because you just want to know what happens next.

As a professional author, this desire comes largely from his writing style: it's engaging, to the point, descriptive but not flowery. I also enjoyed his interjections sprinkled throughout the book, such as when he says he could tell us a whole slew of army stories, but he's holding back because that could fill another book. The tone of voice reminded me of chatting with my own grandfather – there's a sense of nostalgia, both personal and societal.

It seems clear, upon reading Never Summer, that Nicholas has a deep appreciation (and perhaps even a longing) for the days where people sat down to dinner as a family, where youth sports were not nearly as competitive as they are today and where social media didn't distract from interpersonal connections. At the same time, Nicholas' frustration over missing out on being "that barefoot boy" whiling his summer days away at the fishing hole are equally evident.

Nicholas' story is one of hardship and overcoming – it's almost your textbook account of "The American Dream." The song lyrics which introduce each chapter also add to the nostalgia of the era.

As engaging as his storytelling style is-I was surprised to find myself curiously looking forward to hearing about more tales of picking cherries in yet another orchard-the pacing does lack at times. The book itself isn't that long, my copy is just over 180 pages, but the vast majority of it is hashing and rehashing of cherry picking, literally. There are of course nuances between the stories, including an account of an autumn of apple picking, but I wish there was a little more balance between telling the stories of being a migrant fruit laborer with Nicholas' other anecdotes.

I would have liked a little more expansion on his time in college and his time in the military for example, and perhaps we will find that in a later book. I also think it would be interesting to get slightly more details between the mid-1970s and 2022-there's a big temporal jump that took me out of the story.

Something else to note is that Nicholas includes a variety of archival photos from throughout his early life. I loved this addition, these literal snapshots really helped contextualize the story and flesh it out. However, I wish the photos were larger and included captions, as that would have increased their overall impact.

If you're looking for a book to switch up your reading routine, Never Summer: A Thousand Rainbows is a deeply personal, well-written story of a man who's found moments of bliss despite some difficult circumstances. If you enjoy memoirs, this is definitely one worth reading, largely due to the casual, relatable writing style and the eclectic collection of anecdotes, all in the context of a very different summer experience for a midwestern boy.

Nicholas, who has lived west of Niwot for many years, will be at Inkberry Books in Niwot April 28 for a reading and book signing event. His wife, Suzi Nicholas, who taught third grade at Niwot Elementary for many years, will be familiar to many Courier readers.

Happy Reading!