Some books impress you with their simplicity.
And so it is with Who Will Carry the Fire?, a series of essays by retired pastor Darrell Pedersen. Reared in rural northeastern Minnesota, Pedersen’s prose will be highly relatable to Midwesterners who grew up in 1950s and ‘60s and find themselves looking in the rearview mirror. They’ll identify with swinging on a Tarzan rope in the hay mow, the joy of riding a wooden toboggan and parents playing Canasta inside as kids play Annie Annie Over outside.
Pedersen has a crisp memory and uses it wisely, weaving life lessons into ordinary tales of snowball fights, young love, aging mentors and the everyday conflicts and joys of a life well-lived. A preacher by profession, his words land lightly as he tends to spare the sermonizing in favor of a gentle caring voice.
Who Will Carry the Fire? is a good read. Pedersen takes you to memorable places, and you’ll feel as though you are there. “We walked without speaking into the dark night,” he recalls of a pussy-footing to a deer stand. Once there, you will relate to the visions he sees.
C. B. Bylander
Outdoor Writer
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