The Different Worlds of the Same Hometown

 The Different Worlds of the Same Hometown

A hometown is typically where one was born, raised, or lived the longest.  But of course there is far more to it.  I consider Laconia, New Hampshire my hometown.  Although I was born elsewhere, and have spent many years in other spots, my time in Laconia from early childhood through high school shaped every feature of my future. I think of this experience as an anchor for my identity.    

The reputation of Laconia is enhanced by its location among lakes and mountains, and abundant year-round recreation. Every town has public schools, and those in Laconia drew my parents as educators.  Also, hunting and fishing appealed immensely to my father. 

 I fell into a social and economic lifestyle that endured long after I graduated in 1963. I married a like-minded hometown girl two classes behind me in high school.  Even my parents’ house looks much the same as it did years ago.  But the hometown I remember is akin to a myth for others. 

My glib assessment of Laconia’s stasis was shaken to the core by an autobiography written just a few years ago by James Novak.  Titled “Ora’s Boy” (available on Amazon), a reference to author’s penurious mother, the book details the challenging, mostly impoverished childhood of a boy growing up in the relatively a poor French Canadian Catholic neighborhood where street smarts were far more important than school. 

 Novak described many events he and I witnessed around the town, including motorcycle races, Boy Scout hikes and swimming lessons. Yet he skirted poverty constantly, had few clothes, and often went hungry. Even though our experiences were separated by just a few years, our realities were worlds apart. He represents a hometown I never really knew.  

I led a comparatively privileged existence. My father was the junior high principal and my older sister was a junior prom queen.  On the other hand, Novak could not even afford the clothes to attend a school dance. The contrast reminds me that every hometown experience uniquely reflects the socio-economics, culture, family life, and personality of the individuals who grow up there. 

James Novak was a feisty, resourceful character who eventually escaped Laconia and found success as a high-ranking procurement officer in the Air Force. My own career success came from becoming a public school administrator.  

What fascinated me about James Novak was his clear-headed and simple description of life in Laconia during the late 1940s. The lesson I learned from “Ora’s Boy” is that digging deeper may upset or dispel the unexamined biases we leave on the doorsteps of our hometowns.  Time changes the meaning and memories of a hometown when we take a deeper look at others who have lived there