In his deeply moving and unforgettable memoir, Post-Hole Digger (also known as PHD), author James Pope invites readers into a world many have forgotten, one defined by hardship, grit, and a child’s quiet courage.
Post-Hole Digger is dedicated to all the children of the world, like myself, who became instant adults, shouldering family responsibilities far beyond our age.
I was just 15 years old, in the 9th grade, when my father died in my arms as I tried to get nitroglycerin tablets under his tongue. Soon after, I took over his job as janitor of the Macedonia, Iowa, consolidated school to support my mother, my older sister, and my younger sister. I chose the title Post-Hole Digger to connect manual labor, higher education, and big business. This memoir tells the story of my life from my earliest memory to age 19. I was born March 25, 1937, at home on the family farm in rural Avoca, Iowa, a time when America was great. Life was faith-based, logical, and rooted in a cash and carry economy. A family could live on a single income, own a home, and drive a car.
Anyone born after 1940 never truly experienced that America. For me, the shift began in 1946 when education started its decline and layaway sparked a wave of emotional spending. I have great memories of attending a one room country school and learning that in 1901 Iowa was recognized as the highest educated state in the nation. Women with just two years of college were teaching those schools, sometimes teenagers or housewives, and producing exceptional results. At the same time, the head of the U.S. Patent Office famously suggested closing the office because “everything had been invented.”
In school, we were taught about what made America great. By the end of 3rd grade, we understood the value of original ideas, the balance between workers and bosses, and the truth in the saying: If a man knows how, he’ll always have a job. The man that knows why will always be his boss.
That upbringing taught me early that I alone was responsible for my life. Life brought loss, and the work still had to be done. Over time, I saw many people choose the emotional path and suffer for it, while logic and planning guided me to stability. Yogi Berra said, “If you don’t know where you are going, you will end up somewhere else.” He was right. you must have a plan for life.
From the wisdom of a door to door salesman to building two retirements before age 60, I’ve lived a life shaped by hard work, responsibility, and clear thinking. Today, at age 87, I can truly say: life is great.
About the Book:
Post-Hole Digger tells the true story of a boy growing up in a struggling farm family, where childhood is quickly traded for responsibility. It is a rare and honest portrayal of what it means to be called upon too soon, of working the land not for passion but out of necessity, and of learning to carry the weight of a family name on young shoulders.
This book is not just one man’s story, it’s a dedication to all the children who were never asked, but expected, to step up, who bore burdens too big for their age, and who did it anyway. Pope’s writing is raw, honest, and deeply human. With clarity and compassion, he shares the emotional toll, the hard-earned lessons, and the small but powerful victories that come from growing up too soon.
“This book is for the children who held the line when no one else could,” Pope says. “It’s for those who worked beside their parents before they even had time to dream, and who found their identity through grit, not guidance.”
Post-Hole Digger is resonating with readers across generations, from those who lived similar upbringings to younger audiences curious about a time when resilience was carved from dirt, sweat, and sacrifice.
Post-Hole Digger is available now in Kindle and paperback formats on Amazon: One can buy the book here.
About the Author:
James Pope writes from the heart. His stories are rooted in lived experience and driven by a desire to shed light on the often overlooked strength of ordinary people. Post-Hole Digger is his first published memoir.
For interviews, appearances, or review copies, please contact: Sage Grey at sgrey@inkstartmedia.com.
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Company Name: Ink Start Media
Contact Person: Sage Grey
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Country: United States
Website: https://www.amazon.com/Post-Hole-Digger-James-W-Pope-ebook/dp/B0BP4LP1FR/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&dib_tag=se&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.sVh7pBclzYvXqRZZZlFt_H7qnRVkSlnsRxW4Sn1_nOhYU1hgZ2U6aOCdTT8_rHA_Cjv6vGdRXGdBsVrnBINZunQLDoig9jC-Mm6E1EVw1g5KxJ0zv9n-6xXnvcch3l6lz_YCEj7JzQIoXZRpVK4SjYttmPSV8DrH8_yRmiLh-pUgwt3jCB5R7fGNjHAkpz4ZwJKkEsXvt7CYefVKyKfIoJvjavtimPzHiZUabNe5J10.7OtFkoVvmk_K0_yeY325pgVVG7rs6DYhM8pq0lDWEOw&qid=1751576730&sr=1-2
