How I Lived and Laughed Through the Great Depression and Thereafter

This is a series of short stories of the author’s experiences growing up in Chicago during the Great Depression. Yes, it’s all there: bootleg booze, making every penny count, and youthful mischievousness – some hilarious, some sad, but all entertaining.

The author, age eighty-four, has entertained his children and grandchildren from generation to generation with stories of his early childhood growing up in Chicago during the Great Depression, and his entry into manhood. His stories are entertaining as well as enlightening because they provide insight into some of life’s important lessons by giving the reader a glimpse of how life was then − without TV, the internet, iPads and all the trappings we so take for granted. Nickolas Petrovich is a skillful story teller who transports the reader back through time and space to relive his experiences, his memories and the lessons he learned – some exciting, some sad, but often humorous. In this, his first published work, he takes the reader to a time today’s generation has never known. Some of the short stories in this book… • Diving for Teeth… a gut buster • A Tale of a Tail… hilarious • A Game of Pinochle… unbelievable • Thank Goodness for Matches… very useful • and more stories equally funny and exciting! Come… join this plucky kid as he shares his adventures and takes you on a trip to see how he lived and laughed through the Great Depression of the 1930’s.

Mr. Petrovich is a product of the great depression where he learned early that hard work and risk taking was a means to succeed in life (of course some risks portrayed in his book don’t qualify). He attended Chicago’s grammar & high schools, enlisted in the U.S. Navy in 1944 and was honorably discharged in 1946. He worked as an Iron worker and Steeple Jack while waiting to be accepted to the Chicago Academy of Art on the G.I. Bill. After graduating he worked as an Advertising Artist until he moved to Ontario, California, in 1955 where he opened his own Art & Advertising service. The First National Bank of Ontario was the first of many accounts he provided service to, like Pomona First Federal Savings, Shady Grove Dairy, Celco Electronics, Data Designs Labs. and many more. In spite of his business work load, he managed to become vise president of the Ontario/Pomona Jr. chamber of commerce, Bulletin Editor of the Pomona breakfast Lions, and a member of the Ontario Industrial Committee. Before selling his business 15 years later, but not wanting to retire yet, he took a position as Source Inspector for IBM and later, chief designer for Pacific Coast Lighting. He finally retired and retreated to the high Desert of Apple Valley CA. and began painting his favorite Western & Americana paintings, and still does to this day.