For many families living in South Russia, Canada was seen as the promised land, a place to escape famine and the communist regime. In the late 1800s and early 1900s, migration from the Motherland was fraught with both fear and promise, the potential for a better life in a new land. The Way It Was is a true chronology of Ron Teichreb's family, which emigrated from Russia to Saskatchewan where they lived in tune with the land as homesteaders. It's a story of a hard life softened by glints of joy, seen through vignettes detailing life's many milestones, such as births, marriages, and deaths. Hijinks and resilience are common themes that the author shares when telling of his boyhood spent growing up on a small farm, playing sports, and exploring other pursuits. Eventually, he introduces the reader to his adulthood, career, and, finally, retirement in Saskatoon.