num_pages: 88
description: Earl Diemel was raised in a small town in Wisconsin, the only boy in a poor family of eight children. But despite their financial shortcomings, the Diemel family always seemed to "made do," hunting and fishing to supplement their meager supplies. Prohibition and the Great Depression had made life difficult, but "Pa" Diemel managed to keep their heads above water by running a moonshine still - and it was from his father that Earl learned to make alcohol, a skill he would later put to good use. As Earl grew, he worked several jobs, mostly driving trucks for various companies in the area. He was considered one of the better drivers and people liked him, but Earl could not suppress his desire to join the army. When he was finally old enough to enlist, Earl traveled to Fort Sheridan for induction. After completing basic training, he was transfered to Danville, Illinois, where he and friends in his squad worked and celebrated their youth. Earl was eventually shipped overseas, first to Oro Bay in New Guinea and then on to Lae, where they set up permanent camp. In Lae his childhood "scrounging" came in handy, as he helped supply the squad with whatever goods they needed. It was here Earl's moonshine training alos resurfaced. Using some of the extra supplies he would gather, Earl began making "jungle juice," a wine-like concoction which the entire squad appreciated - and he made sure no one in his crew ever went without, especially fresh food and jungle juice. When the war was over, Earl returned home and, to his surprise, found his old girlfriend, Muriel. The two began dating and before long decided to get married, provided Earl would pick her up in a taxi. In a town boasting a population of one hundred people, this proved a difficult dilemma for even Earl, and the self-sufficient was forced to dig deeper and stretch his resources farther than ever in an attempt to find a way to marry the girl he loved. Diemel's "Meet Me in a Taxi" is a warm and entertaining recollection of one man's compelling journey. Readers will find themselves lost in a world defined by romance, success, and a refreshingly optimistic outlook toward life.
language: English
title: Meet Me in a Taxi
titlecomplete: Meet Me in a Taxi
publisher: Dorrance Pub Co