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192 reviews for:
The Prize Winner of Defiance, Ohio: How My Mother Raised 10 Kids on 25 Words or Less
Terry Ryan
3.86 AVERAGE
192 reviews for:
The Prize Winner of Defiance, Ohio: How My Mother Raised 10 Kids on 25 Words or Less
Terry Ryan
3.86 AVERAGE
I've been reading a lot of really sad books and needed something to pull me out of that. This one did it. There were several times when I laughed out loud or just HAD to read a little excerpt to my husband because I thought it was so funny.
I had seen the movie they made off of this book a couple of years ago and remember liking it, but really didn't remember too many details. I don't that that it 'ruined' the book at all.
This is a great book of overcoming and making the most of your circumstances. It doesn't hurt that I'm from Ohio and loved reading about places I recognize.
I thought this book was a great tribute to a life that was extraordinary only because she made it that way.
So good.
I had seen the movie they made off of this book a couple of years ago and remember liking it, but really didn't remember too many details. I don't that that it 'ruined' the book at all.
This is a great book of overcoming and making the most of your circumstances. It doesn't hurt that I'm from Ohio and loved reading about places I recognize.
I thought this book was a great tribute to a life that was extraordinary only because she made it that way.
So good.
I think this was probably my first foray into biography, but I think it was a great choice. It made me want to work harder and be happier and remember my blessings all the more. Thanks for the recommendation, Jolene.
I really enjoyed this book about a mom raising 10 children in the contest era which I knew absolutely nothing about.
It's an interesting memoir as the mom is confined to her role as 50s housewife with a shotgun wedding to hide a pregnancy and an alcoholic father who basically contributes nothing, oh and takes out a second mortgage and drinks it away without telling anyone. What the hell? Anyways, I thought it brought up a lot of interesting questions about feminism and subversion of gender roles. It also will read as a culture shock to even the most midwestern Ohio people today. These contests are so ridiculous. The poems are shockingly terrible.
So overall, I would have liked to know more about the mom's true motivations and thoughts but it seems that her character was to be elusive about her own worries and thoughts.
It's an interesting memoir as the mom is confined to her role as 50s housewife with a shotgun wedding to hide a pregnancy and an alcoholic father who basically contributes nothing, oh and takes out a second mortgage and drinks it away without telling anyone. What the hell? Anyways, I thought it brought up a lot of interesting questions about feminism and subversion of gender roles. It also will read as a culture shock to even the most midwestern Ohio people today. These contests are so ridiculous. The poems are shockingly terrible.
So overall, I would have liked to know more about the mom's true motivations and thoughts but it seems that her character was to be elusive about her own worries and thoughts.
This was an inspiring account of a mom's means of keeping her large family afloat in the 1950s by writing jingles and other contests of skill. The history of these contests is interesting, but the real story is the vivacity and joy that Evelyn brings to her writing and parenting despite the hardships that she faced. A few too many entry examples though.
I got this book for free at Baltimore's The Book Thing. Just picked it up because I knew it had been popular when it was published, with wildly low expectations. For the first few pages I wasn't impressed. I didn't think the writing was very good but I kept going. I'm so glad I did and I ended up enjoying her writing.
This book is a snapshot into life in America in the 1950s, just a bit before I was born. A realistic snapshot, not the "Father Knows Best" or "Donna Reed" or "I Love Lucy" version. These people had a hard life. And, as is often the case, the mom kept them going. This is really her story. She was a woman of her time--housewife, etc--but she was really good at winning prizes! I had no idea this was a big thing, but it was, and it helped this family limp along.
I bought myself a bunch of books right at the beginning of lockdown, but most of them are pretty serious. They are things I need to read, but really can't concentrate on right now so I reached back to the Book Thing shelf for easy reads. So far I've not been disappointed. The Prize Winner took me out of today's troubles and gave me a glimpse into a part of American culture that I knew nothing about If you need an escape, pick up this book.
This book is a snapshot into life in America in the 1950s, just a bit before I was born. A realistic snapshot, not the "Father Knows Best" or "Donna Reed" or "I Love Lucy" version. These people had a hard life. And, as is often the case, the mom kept them going. This is really her story. She was a woman of her time--housewife, etc--but she was really good at winning prizes! I had no idea this was a big thing, but it was, and it helped this family limp along.
I bought myself a bunch of books right at the beginning of lockdown, but most of them are pretty serious. They are things I need to read, but really can't concentrate on right now so I reached back to the Book Thing shelf for easy reads. So far I've not been disappointed. The Prize Winner took me out of today's troubles and gave me a glimpse into a part of American culture that I knew nothing about If you need an escape, pick up this book.
I don't know if it was the writing or how much I loved the story, but this was the best book I read that year-- whatever year it was, as it was back when the kids were preschoolers & that time is kind of a blur.
I found this book about the author's mother to be interesting but flawed. I think she could have used a strict editor. I am just old enough to remember the tail end of the big contests for housewives, and it was fun to find out more about them. I found this book to have too many details about things not germane to the actual story, though.
Terry Ryan's mom is the kind of hobbyist you'd expect from a housewife in the middle of last century, but she's picked a hobby that most didn't even know existed: entering writing contests. The way Mrs. Ryan seemed so incredibly focused, never entering them *really* for more than fun and mental stimulation is amazing. Of course, some of the prizes came just when they needed too, which adds to the fun of the narration.
I devoured this book in a little under 48 hours. It was a quick read, simplistically and clearly written, without much in the way of under-current or complex literary devices... except the entries themselves, which I didn't always understand.
I devoured this book in a little under 48 hours. It was a quick read, simplistically and clearly written, without much in the way of under-current or complex literary devices... except the entries themselves, which I didn't always understand.
Despite the dysfunctional family portrayed, I laughed and giggled and guffawed at the antics of the children and mother in this sweet memoir. The author's mother was able to keep the family afloat financially and emotionally by winning product phrase and jingle contests.