| Evelyn Ryan is a mother of 10 children in the 1950's in the small town of Defiance, Ohio. Her husband Kelly is an alcoholic and drinks away most of his small paycheck, so the family is very poor. Evelyn uses her writing skills to enter the many contests of that era. From writing Burma Shave ads, to finishing jingles for products like Dial soap, or naming different bug sprays, Evelyn manages to win small cash prizes as well as tv's, toys, knives, as well as a supermarket shopping spree. She also writes poetry and stories which help keep her family afloat. Meanwhile, she has to deal with being the only reliable parent. When her husband has a nervous collapse and sinks into a depression, she has to convince him to go back to work because her contest wins aren't enough for the family's survival. She also has to reassure her daughter (the author of this book) when her teachers assume that because their family is poor it means that she's dumb. Meanwhile, Evelyn finds a group of other eager contestants around the state and becomes pen pals with them. | ||
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Plot & Themes Job/profession/poverty story Yes Kind of living: - general poverty story Family, love Yes Special relationship with - mother Subject of Biography Gender - Female Profession/status: Ethnicity - White Nationality - American Setting United States Yes Small town? Yes Small town people: - nice, like Andy/Opie/Aunt Bee Century: - 1930's-1950's Writing Style Book makes you feel? - very happy Pictures/Illustrations? - None How much dialogue in bio? - roughly even amounts of descript and dialog |
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