Der Kliene Lump contains a series of true anecdotes about the winsome ways of a boy who experienced rare freedoms and "extravagances" in a harsh era defined by The Great Depression and World War II. The boy's family of seven was unique in heritage, faith, lifestyle, character, and appearance. Less than an acre of land, a primitive house, an outhouse, and five dinky buildings, which sheltered a menagerie of animals, defined their habitat. His mother wore a prayer covering and plain dress that belied her fiery temperament. She referred to her son as Der Kleine Lump (The Little Rascal, at times, The Scoundrel).
When the author, John Paugstat, viewed the anecdotes as a composite picture, he saw a boy who, when nurtured by faith, family, and society, rose above the Woes of Poverty and enjoyed the Wows of Privilege and Adventure. The author would like to have been that boy, and so he was, resulting in anecdotes true to the limits of his memory.
