A memoir about growing up in rural Mercer County, Pa.

A Baby Boomer memoir about childhood adventures growing up in rural Mercer County, Pennsylvania.

A baby boomer writes about growing up in the country
Because the world has changed so much in my lifetime, I wrote a book about my experiences growing up in rural Mercer County, Pennsylvania back in the pre-digital age — long before cell phones and social media, and long before I ever saw a video game. One objective was to help people better-understand how their Baby Boomer parents and grandparents were raised. Another objective was to help Boomers resurrect memories of their own childhood experiences. Titled "In the Land of Used to Be: Memories of a Rural Pennsylvania Childhood," the book is available from Amazon in paperback format.

Stories about boyhood life and adventures
The book is a collection of memories from my 1953 to 1971 childhood. Our family moved from Somerset County to Mercer County in 1956. For most of my childhood, we lived along a dirt road out in the country, about five miles east of the town of Mercer. Back then, kids growing up in rural Mercer County had very little adult supervision, apart from church and school. We were responsible for entertaining ourselves, and literally had the entire countryside to explore in search of boyhood adventures. Explore we did — at first on foot, then on bicycle, and ultimately with our own personal automobiles. We made mistakes and took unnecessary risks, and learned from the sometimes-unpleasant consequences. Looking back, I’m not sure that was a bad thing, because a person seldom forgets lessons learned the hard way.

Bottom line: I’m stoked about this memoir because I think that young and old alike will enjoy reading about what it was like growing up in Mercer County way back when, near the middle of the 20th century. The book is published by the Mercer County Historical Society, and can be purchased directly from them at 119 South Pitt Street, Mercer Pa., or ordered via Amazon.

Lannie Dietle, September 12, 2024

The front cover of a new non-fiction book about childhood adventures of a Boomer growing up in rural Mercer County, Pennsylvania.

"In the Land of Used to Be" is a memoir about growing up in rural Mercer County, in western Pennsylvania, as a member of the Baby Boomer generation. I think you'll like its stories, regardless of whether you were raised in Mercer County. The farm that is featured on the cover of the book adjoined my childhood home, and many of my favorite childhood memories were formed on that farm. The pond that is included on the cover photo was, and probably still is, a favorite swimming spot for local teenagers. (ISBN-13: 979-8327495098, non-fiction, photo-illustrated.)

The author Lannie Dietle, who wrote an entertaining book about his Mercer County childhood adventures in the country.

This is a post-retirement photo of me. I learned many of the skills I needed for my career as an industrial designer back when I was attending Lakeview High School in Mercer County, Pennsylvania. In addition to telling stories about what it was like growing up in rural Pennsylvania a long time ago, the book highlights some of the positive influences Lakeview teachers had on my life and eventual career.