Man of the Family

by Kathleen Karr

A moving father-son story.

At ten, Istvan Csere is learning from his father all about running the family's chicken farm in South Jersey. The father, a flamboyant, proud character who fled Hungary with Istvan's mother on the brink of the First World War, has great plans for his family and their little farm. And Istvan is increasingly aware of his own responsibilities in helping to realize these dreams. First steps are taken -- money is saved for an electrical generator, seedlings for a fruit orchard are planted. Then something terrible happens and Istvan must suddenly take over as man of the family, having to rely on the lessons learned from his father sooner than he ever expected. Transforming her own family history into compelling historical fiction, Kathleen Karr examines a pivotal year in her father's childhood -- a year that changed his life forever.

192 pages, Hardcover

First published September 21, 1999

About the author

Kathleen Karr was born in Allentown, Pennsylvania, and grew up on a chicken farm in Dorothy, New Jersey. After escaping to college, she worked in the film industry, and also taught in high school and college. She seriously began writing fiction on a dare from her husband. After honing her skills in women’s fiction, her children asked her to write a book for them, (It Ain’t Always Easy, Farrar, Straus & Giroux, 1990), and she discovered she loved writing for young readers.

Reviews

[Hanna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fantastic story that was engaging and instructive and made me fall in love with an Hungarian immigrant family in the 1920s. A scene with inappropriate words was the extent of negative content ... aside from the conclusion, which made me cry. And not in the best way. Church was mentioned, but the book didn't have much of a biblical worldview.

[Luisa Knight]

Did not finish. So far, there are two s-words and the husband/wife and family dynamics aren’t what I was hoping to get out of this book.

[Miss Amanda · Rating 3 out of 5]

gr 4-8 179pgs


1924 rural south Jersey. 10 year old Istvan must be the man of the house when his father must travel to find work. Istvan finds that role to be hard work: doing his chores on their chicken farm, watching over his two younger siblings, and acting as interpreter for his Hungarian immigrant mother.

Includes a lot of information about new technology for the time/area: crystal radios, model t fords. Interesting read.