Reverend Olaf Sheldon Christian was born January 1, 1907 in Jutland, Denmark while the Danish-American family were visiting relatives. The Christians originally hailed from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania until 1909 when they moved to Somerville, Massachusetts. In 1914, Sheldon's father, John Christian (1869-1914), died of carcinoma of the upper jaw, leaving a widow and seven children on their own. Sheldon was raised in Somerville and at age 14 dropped out of school and entered the workforce taking on odd jobs as a messenger, packer, and office boy in the Boston and Cambridge areas. He was tutored privately until he was 18 when, determined to get an education, he re-entered public school by attending Somerville High School. While in high school, Sheldon would be active in the High School Player's Club performing in many plays including his own work, a three-act play "Filled or Fed", performed in 1925 at the High School Hall.

Graduating high school in 1927, he attended Tufts College matriculating in 1931 with a Bachelor of Arts in English. While an undergraduate, his interest in religion was beginning to show evidence when he was President of the Young People's Religious Society. He also began to give illustrated lectures on religion and other topics that were so popular at the time. After graduation, he sought a Bachelor of Sacred Theology from the Tufts College School of Religion graduating in 1933. While at Tufts, Sheldon edited the student magazine, the Tuftonian, from 1930-1931. He cultivated his literary skills through writing plays, poetry, and verse. He was a two time winner of the Goddard Prize Readings (1932-1933) and first prize in the Greenwood Prize Readings (1933). He edited and published his work in magazines and book anthologies and took on the role of editor for poetry magazines namely the American edition of The Beacon (British West Indies) (1933) and Poetry World (1932-1934). He published many works with Lawrence Carra under their own publishing company, Carra-Christian, including Thirty Years of Tuft Verse in 1931. In 1933 after graduation, Sheldon took a job as the minister for First Universalist Church in Bangor, Maine. It is here the collection begins telling the story of a young minister, his family, friends, and colleagues during the Depression years.