I still play it sometimes, but I learned it in Michigan. For reasons that I never fully understood, while I was growing up, we couldn't play any card games that used poker-type cards but other card games were sought out.
Ken, I know what you mean, Rook was socially acceptable and certainly it was an interesting, strategy card game.
Yes, we played it all the time. Also, my parents used to get together with my best friends parents and play every Friday night. My mom and my friend's father where partners, with my dad and her mom being partners. My mom said they did that to keep harmony in their marriage, because if the spouses where partners .... Oh Boy!! We also played canasta a lot - similar to gin rummy, but you played with 2 decks of cards. Does anyone else remember canasta?
The card game that everyone played when I was a kid and many still do is Bid Wist. I could never get the hang of it, sitting still that long just was not my thing. My mind would wonder off and that would be that. I do the same thing with football games.