I Got by

Book excerpt: Author Harry Marlin met everything including life head on. He spent his childhood in tiny depression-ridden Blanket, Texas, and matured during 50 combat missions over Germany. His thinking and personality were forever colored by both experiences. Opinionated, blunt and uncompromisingly candid, he was talented beyond belief. He was a Steel guitar musician, photographer, Police Officer, Columnist and Book Author. Harry could be humorous, hauntingly profound and compassionate, all in the one paragraph. Called the Will Rogers of Central Texas, Marlin wrote a weekly column for the Brownwood Bulletin over a period of 11 years. I Got By presents the second volume of compilations of his best stories taking a humorous look back at growing up and facing life's challenges through every generation. "Crime Didn't Pay and Nothing Else Did Either" explores the time when Crime was a rare occasion because folks didn't have enough money to afford anything worth stealing. In "Hemingway Never Picked Cotton or Danced in a Honkey-Tonk," Marlin compares how the famous Author might have written differently had he been exposed to some Texas traditions. Colorful and witty, I Got By provides insights into life in rural Texas during the Great Depression and shows that humor can provide relief in many challenging situations. This being the 2nd volume and Marin's final book, it is your last chance to explores a Lifetime worth of his experiences.