Joyful Voices

Every month, submissions to our Growing Up department are by far the most numerous. These stories touch on all aspects of childhood and span most of the 20th century from the 1920s to the 1990s. We’ve long wished to gather the best of them to tell a larger story about growing up in midcentury America. At last, we’ve done just that in “When We Were Young” (page 26), a charming collection about the lives of children through decades of social, political and economic change.

Especially touching are tales of finding joy in periods of hardship. Patricia Edwards running free with her siblings in Long Beach, California, during the Great Depression (page 30) and Royal

Sutton and his brother

Bob making their own fun during World War II (page

33) are inspiring examples of defying hard times with a soft poke in the ribs of a beloved playmate. These stories highlight the resilience of children and their admirable capacity for hope. With most of us at press time three weeks into safer-at-home advisories due to the threat of COVID-19, we need the beauty of that hope and the reassurance of that resilience.

Our contributors have lived through national afflictions before—poverty, war, vicious outbreaks of flu and polio—and survived. Rather than dwell on the sadness, they reflect instead on the wonder of growing up. What better time than today to cherish their remarkable optimism?

This is their moment. Let’s listen together. •