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What Members Thought

Colleen Chi-Girl
I enjoyed the hard-working woman raising 10! kids in Ohio at a time that she could've been one of my aunts or other relatives. A mostly feel-good story of how to turn an upside situation into a right-side up life. ...more
Ksmom
Feb 08, 2009 rated it liked it
Shelves: memoir
Accountability. One of my favorite words. This mom had it. Add grace, charm, humility, sense of humor, love, kindness, and wit and you have her in 25 words or less.
Judy
Nov 02, 2008 rated it it was amazing  ·  review of another edition
I picked this book up by chance at the library, but couldn't put it down.

It's the true story of how author Terry Ryan's mother, Evelyn, supported her ten children by writing brilliant slogans for consumer competitions in 1950s America, as well as clever short comic poems which she sold to the local newspaper for a couple of dollars a time. Her husband was a sometimes violent drunk, everything in the house was falling to bits, and sometimes all there was to eat was soup with bugs (which she insis
...more
Nancy H
Oct 18, 2011 rated it it was amazing
This is a fantastic book about an amazing woman who raised ten children and ran a household by entering and winning contests! This is definitely a must-read, especially for people in today's world who are having trouble economizing. What this woman did is mind-boggling! ...more
Lisa of Hopewell
May 19, 2022 rated it liked it
Can't remember which year I read this. ...more
superawesomekt
Anecdotal biography of the author's mother and her competing in jingle contests in the mid-20th century. As other reviews have stated, it is reminiscent of Cheaper by the Dozen, but perhaps with a bit more dysfunction. What I especially liked was that the dysfunction was not the focal point of the story -- it was an unfortunate reality, but there is a spirit of optimism and hard work that carries the day. ...more
Christi
Apr 28, 2008 rated it liked it
I was hoping for a little more umph from this book. The ending was happier than I thought it would be, but the course of the book had little pull to it. Truthfully, I scanned much of it instead of giving it a good read. It just didn't pull me in. ...more
Stacey Matson
Apr 02, 2008 rated it really liked it
Megan
Jun 23, 2008 marked it as to-read
Shelves: non-fiction, memoirs
Christy
Nov 27, 2008 rated it liked it
Janna
Oct 26, 2009 rated it it was amazing
Heather-Lea
Oct 15, 2011 rated it it was amazing
Tammy AZ
May 15, 2012 rated it really liked it
Julie
Jul 02, 2012 rated it really liked it
Tracyene
Sep 26, 2012 rated it really liked it
Terri
Jan 07, 2013 rated it really liked it
Terri FL
Nov 22, 2014 marked it as to-read
Deb (Readerbuzz) Nance
Mar 17, 2016 rated it liked it
Shelves: memoir
Sticking.
Keeley
Dec 11, 2017 marked it as to-read
Janet
Feb 21, 2020 marked it as to-read
Ginger
Oct 15, 2020 marked it as to-read
Carol
Feb 27, 2023 rated it really liked it
Soelo
Sep 09, 2023 rated it liked it
Shelves: audio