Born into a lower-middle-class depression-era farming community in northwestern Missouri, Carroll B. Cheek was a product of his time. During the depression, there was a constant fight for survival. Jobs, housing, even food were scarce. Farming kept families alive. Children worked to help support the family. Everyone did their part. Play was a luxury few people enjoyed. To put it mildly, the United States of America was in crisis. Not before or...