Synopsis
Against the Grain: A Life Out of Step serves two purposes. The first, and most important, is to encourage you to write your memoirs, your life story. The author, Mary Helgesen Gabel, was introduced to family history and memoir writing when her 89-year-old father came to her with a manuscript that he had been working on for ten years. A party to celebrate the finished project, From Majestic Fjord to the Mighty Mississippi: A Farmboy from Wisconsin Finds His Roots in Norway by Russell B. Helgesen, was held on his 90th birthday. It brought together his children, grandchildren, [and] great grandchildren along with other family and friends. Seeing the satisfaction of [her] father of having his story in print lit a fire in the author to encourage others to leave their precious legacy for their descendants and the world in general.
The second purpose is the sharing of the author’s memoirs.
Since 2006, Mary Helgesen Gabel served as graphic designer for the Pendle Hill pamphlets. She shaped the look of the modern pamphlet series, designing nearly one hundred pamphlets during her tenure. Mary passed away in June 2022; the final pamphlet she worked on was PHP #476 (August 2022) by Vanessa Julye.
