Rating: 
Summary: A Daughter's Tribute
Review: This was an uplifting, feel-good book. The small-town, large family setting showcased Evelyn Ryan, who never let her life get her down. She had a troubled marriage and little money, but her talent for writing jingles (and her sense of humor) pulled her through the hard times. She won hundreds of prizes (and cash too) in the days (50s and 60s) when companies used consumers to help them advertise their products. Everything from toasters and large appliances, cars, and trips were won by this indomitable and inspiring woman.Ryan's daughter Terry writes this story with grace, admiration, humor and love for her mother. You will laugh and cry while reading this book!
Rating: 
Summary: Inspiring
Review: It's rare that I would use the word "inspiring" to describe a book, finding most books that purport to be inspirational are in fact overly sentimental and predictable. But this book deserves that description. Using clear, straightfoward prose, Terry Ryan tells the story of how her mother, married to an alcoholic who drank much of the family's small income, raised ten children in a small Ohio town. Advised at one point to take in laundry, Mrs. Ryan chose instead to earn much-needed extra income by entering jingle-writing contests, and writing humorous poems and short stories. She won frequently enough, and had enough of her poems and stories published, to keep the family afloat despite their financial difficulties. Important as the money was, it was also her emotional strength that kept the family going. Her story would no doubt be worthy of respect no matter who told it, but in Terry Ryan's hands it has gone beyond the mundane and cliched to become something moving and memorable.
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Summary: An absolute JOY to read!!!
Review: This is one of the best memoirs I've ever read! It is charming, humorous and filled to the brim with inspiration! Evelyn Ryan was a homemaker during the 1950's and 60's with ten children and an alcoholic, sometimes abusive husband. She loved to write and was gifted with a marvelous talent for writing short, witty verse. Using this talent she was able to keep her large family fed and clothed over the years by entering contests of skill, which were very popular at the time. Often she would win just a dollar here and there but her winnings also included two automobiles, thousands of dollars in cash ( once a large enough sum to move her family from their two bedroom home to a much larger one) suitcases, watches, a supermarket shopping spree and the list goes on and on. Evelyn was a true competitor with a great sense of humor and a very positive outlook on life. Even when she did not win a prize she never let it get her down but instead just tried harder at the next one. This book will also appeal to anyone who might have grown up in a large family during the fifties and sixties. A time when people were more reluctant to get into any sort of debt or to let anyone, even their own relatives, know the financial difficulties they might be experiencing. The Ryans went through some very tough times but their mother's attitude usually turned around even the most difficult situation. I can't recommend this book highly enough. It includes many photos of the Ryan family and samples of Ms. Ryan's contest entries. You will be delighted when you read them! I was fortunate to find this book in hardback on a sale table at my local bookstore and didn't realize until I started reading it what a treasure I'd found!
Rating:
Summary: A Special Gift
Review: I received The Prize Winner of Defiance, Ohio as a gift from my oldest daughter for Christmas, 2001. Little did I realize how special a gift it would become. From the moment I started the first page I felt a connection to each member of the family. Terry Ryan portrayed each character with depth and finite description. I was able to picture each person and situation by her beautiful writing. The photographs were an extra perk. Growing up in the 50's and 60's I recalled many of the products Evelyn Ryan wrote jingles about and even used some of them. Terry Ryan certainly wrote from her heart. It was difficult to finish the book; I felt I was saying goodbye to a dear friend. I have since passed the book on to my mother, who in turn, shared her love for the memories it evoked. Terry Ryan allowed me to meet her family while showing me the quiet strength of her mother who reminded me, in many ways, of my own mother. I hope my daughter knows what a beautiful gift she has given me.
Rating:
Summary: Beyond Extraordinary!!
Review: Who can read this story without eventually loving Evelyn Ryan and her brood? What a wonderfully rich, heartwarming tribute Terry Ryan has paid to her mother. Evelyn was a woman for the ages. She epitomized what faith, hope, and incredible courage is all about. She tackled adversity with humor and an unwavering positive nature. In reading this story, I found that Evelyn's sad and disheartening times didn't seem as sad or as disheartening because she was the kind of woman who quickly picked herself up, dusted off, and moved forward to the next adventure. Those of us who read her story did the same right along with her without bitterness or regret. What a magnificent gift that is. What a woman!
Rating:
Summary: Funny, Wise, Warm Memoir of Real Life
Review: I stumbled across this book--what a great find. Kind of an old-fashioned family comedy, like "Please Don't Eat The Daisies," about a family struggling throgh adversity with love and humor. A really lovely and surprising book. It reminds me also of "I SLEEP AT RED LIGHTS: A True Story of Life After Triplets," by Bruce Stockler, a hilarious and touching memoir (this time by a Dad, not a mom) about juggling life, work, four kids and marriage.
Rating:
Summary: You May Already Be a Winner
Review: When I read about how heartwarming and inspirational a book is, I just want to gag. So that isn't what drew me to this book. It was the contest angle that hooked me. But I ended up falling for the whole darned package. The mother of ten who has a brain and uses it, the kids who are struggling for individuality in a crowded house, the alcoholic father who can't support his family, the weird menagerie of cats and birds -- this story just gets at you from every direction. The writing is straightforward and engaging without being maudlin. There is no self-pity here (except for the father); the whole family just gets on with their lives, one near-disaster after another. The contest theme is terrific, it captures the time (1950s and 1960s) perfectly. I bought an old beat-up copy to read, but now I'll have to buy a nicer copy so that I can re-read it.
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Summary: I've bought this book 3+ times
Review: Other reviewers have done a good job of telling you about this book so let me just add that it makes a wonderful gift. I first bought a copy for just a few dollars at a bookstore factory outlet. I have no idea how it made it there to begin with. It is worth the full asking price at any store. I've since purchased this book for my dad (a former editor and wordsmith), and other family members. I may buy it again for a gift if the occasion arises. Anyone who's a part of the human race will resonate with the themes in this book.
Rating: 
Summary: Good - even inspiring - story, but too repetitive
Review: The book was pretty entertaining for the first 150-200 pages, but then everything got really, really repetitive. I think it would have been a very interesting 250-ish page book. Why did we have to read 20 entries to a contest she didn't even win? Character development was good for the main character, but not so good for the rest of the family. I could not remember who was who for the "where are they now" section about the kids at the end.
Rating:
Summary: A wonderful journey
Review: I read this book as part of a book club I belong to and I was so touched by it. Terry Ryan brought me back to the 1950s and 60s of my childhood and helped me to remember the sense of that time, the simple things that made us happy and the struggles that we all had. And in it all is Evelyn Ryan who helped me to remember that we're only as limited as our own brains and spunk. A remarkable lady, a remarkable family, and a wonderful memorial to a piece of life that has long since passed us by.
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