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Summary: From National Public Radio to my home
Review: Based on an intriguing 5 minutes during a short interview with author and daughter, Terry Ryan, I rushed out to buy this book. What a treasure to live the life of Terry and her siblings in a time now gone in Defiance, Ohio (or any other state for that matter). .... The book will carry you back to a quieter, more gentle time. A time of struggle, of coping with the cards of life. You will laugh and you will cry as you ride on the roller coaster of life in the Ryan family and their poetic and creative mother. Thank you Terry Ryan!
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Summary: The Prize Winner of Defiance, Ohio
Review: This is a very fascinating, intriguing story of a large family in the 50's and 60's. Having grown up in Defiance, Ohio I can identify with many of the people and places mentioned in the book. The author did a wonderful job of telling her family's story of hardship and struggles. Ms. Ryan added many delightful, humorous details to make the events seem more real to the reader. This is a must-read book for everyone who grew up during this era.
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Summary: and WE think life is tough.....
Review: I just finished this book. What a wonderful woman! Terry Ryan has written a great tribute to a time (life in America mid-20th century), a family, and a mother who kept it glued together when many would have just given up. There is so much joy in this book. Remember it for mother's day!
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Summary: A wonderful tribute to an incredible spirit.
Review: Terry Ryan grew up as one of ten children in a chaotic household in Definace, Ohio. Her mother Evelyn worked tirelessly to stretch the small amount of money her father brought home, especially since that husband, Kelly Ryan, was an alcoholic. Evelyn turned to contests to bring in money and prizes to keep her family afloat. A witty, well-read woman who was determined to see the bright side of every situation, Evelyn kept the family together. This is a warm, honest look at life in the 1950's and 60's. After turning to the police and the church for help, the family learns to rely on a close network of family and friends. Most of all, this big family learn to look out for one another and to help whenever they could. The rhythm of life in a big family comes out loud and clear, the constant struggle for space, for recognition, and the many trips to schools, dentists and doctors, even the occasional visit to the police. There are many times when the Ryan family was close to eviction,or completely empty cupboards. The family went without many times, but don't seem to carry a lasting sense of deprivation. Terry Ryan is also very upfront about the effects of her father's drinking, the anger, the violence and the resentment. It is also a look at a woman who seemed to be restricted by times and circumstances expressed her wit and gift for words. This is a wonderful tribute to a mother who was determined to do all she could to give her family what they needed. The monetary struggles are borne with a fierce dignity (although hindsight makes the author realize that it took its toll). Evelyn Ryan's refusal to give in to self pity or anger, and her compassion and understanding for others' shortcomings are remarkable and the greatest legacy any mother could leave her family.
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Summary: Winning big - in many ways
Review: Agatha Christie claimed that she got her ideas for plots while washing dishes. Evelyn Lehman Ryan, 'contestor' extraordinaire, claimed that her inspiration (thousands of them) hit while she was at her perpetually-in-use ironing board. Evelyn Ryan kept a notebook at the ready, and jotted jingles, rhymes, ditties, and ideas constantly. The house was full of box tops, some culled by picking through people's trash. She often involved the kids in the fun - and taught them a lot about life in the process. This was while caring for ten children on a tiny bit of income, walking everywhere she needed to go (she did not drive), hatching ingenious and workable schemes, yelling herself hoarse at her sons' baseball games, gently evading, placating, or satisfying creditors, advocating for her kids at school (where despite being bright - terrific - kids, some were assigned to 'Special Education' for Freshman year in high school - thanks to the ignorance of the nuns at the kids' Catholic school.) She inspired each child on a daily basis, taught them to care for one another - and found time to love animals, too. An Easter chick grew into an obnoxious rooster named Charley, hellion of the yard but affectionate and loyal to one person: Evelyn. A wounded baby sparrow was nursed back to health, allowed to live indoors for a spell - and subsequently bonded to her so well that a visitor to the house asked her if she knew that she had a bird in her hair.When Playtex stopped making her favorite girdle, she returned to her ironing board with parts salvaged from her worn-out ones. Using her iron she melted seams together to craft new girdles. The kids were familiar with the smell of burning rubber. She had no social life beyond kids until she met a group of women contesters - and her world opened delightfully. Maneuvering around a rather immature, alcoholic and often bitterly disappointing husband and father took some doing, too. Evelyn's well-thought-out rationale for sticking it out- with grace and forgiveness - is included in this book. And to the author's credit, she explores that relationship just enough, avoiding shortcuts or easy ways out. Terry Ryan sustains a young and wholly sincere voice throughout this beautiful memoir that is pure and clear. This is not about "nostalgia," or about sugar-coating pain. It is also not about victimhood. It is a story about her mom first, and then the amazing family that was nurtured by her. Ryan reports on life in her family so well that I was completely transported to the 1950's and the small-town Midwestern world of the Ryans, Although rich beyond measure in love, talent, energy, and brainpower, they were truly poverty-stricken (sometimes not a nickel could be found) a good deal of the time. I loved this story and the very interesting family in it.
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Summary: When will this be available in large print!
Review: My mom is 84 and loves to read, however she can only read large print books. I can't wait for her to be able to enjoy this wonderful book!
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Summary: It's a prize!
Review: I grew up in Defiance, Ohio a little later than the era of this book but Terry Ryan hits our wonderful midwestern town on the head! I close my eyes and I am home again! I absolutely loved this book. I had no idea of the contest and jingles rave of that era and I found it fasinating. Evelyn Ryan was a truly creative woman and she did it all while keeping her sanity and dignity. Raising 10 children alone would be enough!
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Summary: A HEARTWARMING STORY AND READING
Review: Evelyn Ryan, a housewife with ten children, managed to literally keep the wolf from the door with her winning ways. Married to an abusive husband who drank the family's sole income as quickly as he earned it, Evelyn sought help from her priest. He advised her to sit tight. A nun suggested she take in laundry. More laundry was all she needed. So, equipped with nothing more than ready wit, determination, and cockeyed optimism she did what many did during the 1950s - she entered every contest imaginable and she won. Whether Dr. Pepper, Kleenex tissues or a supermarket buying spree, she brought home enough to house, feed, and clothe her six sons and four daughters. Once, when her husband had secretly taken out a second mortgage on their home and they owed the bank $4,000, she won $3,440.64, a car, a European trip, and two watches. Always thinking and writing, she kept a notepad at the ready on the tip of her ironing board. Miraculously, she even managed to leave her children a modest inheritance. But, more than that, this remarkable woman left them a legacy of love and the awareness of the indomitability of the human spirit. Beautifully and touchingly read by the author (child no. 6).
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Summary: Evelyn Ryan Was my Grandmother
Review: This book has been an inspiration to me and all of my family. I was blessed to have such a wonderful Grandmother like her. I always new about how she wrote and won prizes, but I never knew how important it really was until she died. We all miss her and thank God for such a wonderful person. If you want to have a heart warming experience, then read this book. It will keep you happy for days. Kelly Ryan Cory
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Summary: What we need in this world
Review: This book is a keeper--something that should be shared between mothers, daughters, friends, aunts, grandmothers, fathers, brothers--anyone! The writing is at times uneven, but the story carries it--something that is rare. the story of how one mother, determined to make sure that her children had food on teh table, and the best opportunities she could hope to give them. It's a story of a wonderful writer and mother and wordsmith. The book is just a gem. Learn about how wit and love and determination help to carry a family through what might have been a true tragedy...it's the kind of book you walk away from with a belief in humanity. Can't say enough good things about it!
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