Book Review: Bicentennial Eve
Bicentennial Eve: A Wisconsin Novella. Julie A. Jacob, Fresh Water Press, Paperback, 209 pages
Reviewed by Catherine Marcroft.
Reading Julie A. Jacob’s Bicentennial Eve is like curling up on a warm, rainy summer afternoon with a beloved family photo album. You linger over images of the people and places you call family and home, you count your blessings and let your mind wander through what ifs as you recall the choices you made. You buoy yourself with pride in family, community, and country to the point of almost taking those things for granted in the most comforting way.
On the bicentennial eve of July 3, 1976 we meet the descendants of Kitty and Fredrick Jansen and the descendants of Edna and Harry Ames, all born at the beginning of the last century.
They have laid down the roots of our story in southeastern Wisconsin and we follow the branches that grow from them and intertwine into a bigger family tree. Love is constant and gives the members of this family the luxury of truly considering the merits of their own paths. There is hardship and uncertainty but with the support of family there seems assurance that no one will go too far afield. Work hard, be true to yourself is the legacy lesson, in word and example, that Joe and Claire pass on to their daughters, Grace and Skylar as they consider options - should adventure and the wider world take priority over love? Could friends be more than friends? The young women coming up can look to the example of their parents and elders and make their own choices. The other lesson seems to be that making choices is not something that happens just once or only at milestone moments but as Grandma Kitty demonstrates, being true to yourself is a lifelong occupation. Follow your dreams.
There are welcome epilogue entries that check in on our country as it celebrates birthdays further down the road as well as the lives of the family we’ve come to care about from 1976. Somehow, with such a strong foundation in that community on the shore of Lake Michigan, I was not surprised to find all still within reach and support of each other.
The book offers solid context descriptions that allow the reader to recognize and trust in the time period in which this novella is set. From wherever you are personally standing it is a warm and interesting reflection on where we have come in the 50 years since, accept the invitation of Bicentennial Eve, get cozy and enjoy the read.
