Kareen Bratt

My Home's in Montana: a Place and a Way of Life Kareen Bratt

My Home's In Montana - Memoir of a Ranch Family Drama, danger, delight and disappointment draws the reader into an era and a way of life that is nearly unknowable except to the hardy few who still stake their claim to the prairies of Montana. Kareen Bratt's story reaches back into her memories of a family struggling to hold on to their place under Montana's big sky, all the while dealing with hard times, heartbreaking trqagedies and their own human frailties. From a child's point of view, she chronicles the dreams and determination of those who, before her time, came through homesteading, dust bowls, the Great Depression and a World War. These were tough people with good hearts and fearless resolve. Always optimistic and resourceful the family forges on; realistic and resilient. With laughter and tears the writer relays the complications and joys of being at the center of a vibrant community of grandparents, hired men, neighbors and town folk. Growing up on a wheat ranch, without the distractions fo TV or computers, Kareen developed a knack for distilling adult conversations and actions. In this fast moving memoir she relays her adolescent perspective on the byproduct of those observations. She also, with fresh insight, transports the reader into the calculating minds of young children intent on outwitting (at least in the short run) parents, teachers, grandpaarents and even a few neighbor ladies. These were children who lived most of their waking hours outdoors, devising their own entertainment and rules of engagement. Told with the authenticity of one who remembers with great affection, the wind, sky and land of her ranch home, the reader can almost feel the chill of an early morning run to the outhouse or the heat of a harvest kitchen.