Wild Blueberries

Some writers look at life with their eyes, others with their heart. In this beautifully illustrated collection of evocative, funny and moving stories, Peter Damm does both. These are vignettes of growing up in small town rural Michigan, but also a closely observed portrait of mid-century America. The tone is wry, elegiac, poignant and humorous, as Damm recalls the joys of fishing on a northern lake, the rigors and confusion of childhood, or feasting on blueberries in autumn. But this isn’t a collection of pretty postcards. Damm’s family experienced difficulty, alcoholism and loss, and he writes with a survivor’s compassion. The writing is spare, direct, lyrical, truthful. These are stories for all the senses, held in place by strands of memory alternately steel and gold.
PUBLISHER’S NOTE: The following quotes are a few from colleagues of Peter Damm. When he first published his memoir, Wild Blueberries in January 2019, he printed a limited edition of 300 copies and distributed them to these folks. The unexpected response was so positive, and the comments so delightful and eloquent, that we uploaded the paperback book and produced an EPUB on the IngramSpark platform.
“Peter Damm's Wild Blueberries absolutely captures the essence of what growing up in a large family in Rural Michigan after the Second World War was really like. Damm's short stories will take people back to a simpler time in America and draw you in with touching moments and humor. This is a fantastic read that will make you both laugh out loud and shed a tear.”
“Readers who are children of the greatest generation will especially appreciate this vivid recollection of family, school, religion, American rural culture and the wanderlust to experience the world’s most inspiring sights…with the courage to face the demons. Peter takes us on a journey into his past with sweet irreverence and appreciation for all the difficult parts that make up a life well lived and reconnected in the most vital ways. Bravo on this travelogue of wonder, pain, devotion and forgiveness.”
“Like a brisk and invigorating breeze or an oven-warmed dessert, Wild Blueberries reminded me of the best of a child's sensibility: daring mischief and a fabulous imagination, openness to sensual experience, commitment to understanding adult mysteries, sensitivity to siblings' and parents' suffering. This book is a carefully crafted, emotionally intelligent piece of literature. Although I am a picky and impatient reader, I literally treasured every page of Peter Damm's memoir. How he accomplished such a work without succumbing to sentimentality or indulgence is beyond me. I shall keep it close by for rereading.”
“Reading this book made me feel like I was sitting outside on a porch during a beautiful summer evening, holding a drink, and listening to a master storyteller spin his yarns. You get caught up in the beauty, or the humor, or the poignancy, or the honesty of the stories. I was captivated by this book. Peter Damm writes in a way that is simple and yet lyrical, as if you’re reading poetry in story form. And his last chapter, written in the present tense, will stay with me for a very long time.”
“Wild Blueberries is a fine memoir of a wonderful childhood, a beautiful evocation of the Northern Michigan countryside and an almost perfect recollection of the simpler life of fifty years ago. I enjoyed the stories very much. I wasn't expecting to find myself moved so strongly as I read the last chapter. A beautifully written piece; I was in tears.”