Self- Sufficiency and Family Togetherness
Written: Aug 26 '07
|
Product Rating:
|
|
|
Pros: The wisdom it shares; The feeling of satisfaction and accomplishment
Cons: Leaves you wanting to know more.
The Bottom Line: This is a very nice book about a woman who lived through the Great Depression and loved most every minute of it.
|
|
|
| Bryan_Carey's Full Review: Mildred Kalish - Little Heathens: Hard Times and H... |
What must it have been like to grow up during the Great Depression? Have you ever pondered that question? I certainly have, but I was born long after this era came to an end and my primary source of information is from grandparents and others who lived through the 1930’s and are quick to share their personal experiences during this time of economic difficulty. But not everyone who lived through the Great Depression has tales of gloom and despair. Some families thrived while others didn’t necessarily prosper, but managed to make the best of a bad situation by coming together as a cohesive unit. In this book, Little Heathens: Hard Times and High Spirits on an Iowa Farm During the Great Depression, author Mildred Armstrong Kalish shares her experiences as she reflects on her life and the lessons she learned as a young girl growing up in a strong family.
Contents of This Book:
This 292 page book contains 30 chapters divided among four main sections. They are:
Introduction
I. The Family
II. Building Character
III. Fall/Winter
IV. Spring/Summer
Epilogue
Beginning with Part I, Kalish shares some of her early memories about her immediate family. Growing up without a father, she was raised by her grandparents, aunts, and uncles in a rural setting. It was here, living with her siblings, cousins, grandparents, and other family members on a large farm, that the foundation of her life and ultimately her future were both formed.
Part II moves past the introduction of the book by discussing some of the different influences on young Mildred’s life. Farm living was the life she was thrust into, and it shaped her personality in many ways. Not only did she and her siblings learn how to be self- sufficient, they were also influenced by the social norms of the day. Kalish talks about some of these in this section of the book and how they impacted her thoughts and ideas. Religion, literature, medicine, and other topics are discussed briefly in this section, with the bulk of the material dedicated to the hard work that was paramount to a family tied to the land.
In Part III, Kalish spends some time talking about the specific difficulties involved when the mercury on the thermometer headed south. Chores often became more involved and more challenging because they had to be completed while battling the often harsh Iowa winters. There was also the reality of school and Kalish spends some time talking about what it was like attending a small school during this era when discipline and hard work were a regular part of the daily curriculum.
In Part IV, Kalish moves to the warmer times of the year and talks about life on the farm during the Spring and Summer seasons. There were still plenty of chores, but there was also time for fun and mischief and she and her siblings experienced plenty of the latter as they spent time looking for creative ways to entertain themselves. Kalish ends the book with a lengthy epilogue where she summarizes briefly the years she spent as a young adult immediately after she moved away from the place she called home for so many years.
Final Thoughts:
Mildred Armstrong Kalish is a retired English Professor who has much wisdom to share in “Little Heathens”. She wrote this book because she deemed it important to share, with the reading public, the great memories and the lifelong lessons she learned growing up on an Iowa farm during the Great Depression.
For someone like me, the information I have about the depression era of the 1930’s is comprised of facts from history books and periodicals, along with personal accounts from older family members and others who are quick to share what life was like during these times of economic uncertainty. The information offered by grandparents and some of my older aunts and uncles reflects a time that was difficult, but also a time that people came together as a family and took care of each other. When I heard about this book, I was curious about its contents. Would it be similar to the tales often told by older individuals who survived this bleak period in American history? Or, would it offer a fresh take on the situation and present a different overall assessment of this troublesome era?
I fully expected this book to offer the typical gloomy account of the depression era 1930’s but I am happy to report that the author didn’t write the book in this manner. She doesn’t speak in blissful, optimistic terms about the Great Depression and her life was by no means without its share of tough times. But Kalish had a different overall experience. Her family was tightly knit and completely self- sufficient. No one worried too much about unemployment or looking for ways to earn a living. The farm took care of everything necessary for survival and even though the work was physically demanding and the days were long, there was never any serious worry about having enough food to eat or a warm bed to sleep in at night. Everything was taken care of, and each family member had specific responsibilities for maintaining the household.
This book offers many different lessons about life and chief among them is the recurring theme about self- sufficiency. Most of us live a very different lifestyle from the one described in this book and we would be completely helpless if forced to survive without electricity, grocery stores, computers, cell phones, and most other modern- day conveniences. Kalish describes over and over again in this book her experiences on the farm and how she and her family learned to live with what they had. Not only did she and her siblings know the basics of growing food, slaughtering animals for their meat, and storing edible items for the winter season, they also learned different cures for common illnesses, ways to recycle and reuse old clothing, and unique and creative ways to have fun.
What I enjoy best about this book is the author’s sense of optimism and pride. She doesn’t speak of the Great Depression as a time of economic difficulties and strife, but rather as a time when she and her extended family worked as a cohesive team: an organized unit fully trained and ready to tackle any obstacle that stood in the way of survival. Kalish speaks with fondness when she describes one of her aunt’s influences when it came to cooking or the fascinating experience of milking a cow. She describes her life as challenging, but also as entertaining and full of learning experiences.
Overall, “Little Heathens” is an optimistic, honest, “feel- good” type of book that will appeal mainly to those who grew up during the Great Depression and who can relate directly to its many words of infinite wisdom. For the rest of us, this book is still enjoyable and valuable for the many life lessons contained within. Mildred Armstrong Kalish learned to be a survivor, and these instincts certainly were responsible for her future success as an educator. She and her various family members have many things to be grateful for and chief among them was the strong family bonds and the spirit of togetherness that made everything possible. It makes for a satisfying read and a refreshing change from the stories of gloom and doom so commonly associated with this era in American history.
Recommended:
Yes
|
|
|
|
|
- Add to My Yahoo!: 
- Add to Google Homepage: 
© 1999-2009 Shopping.com, Inc.