The Prize Winner of Defiance, Ohio : : how my Mother Raised 10 Kids on 25 Words or Less
Large Type - 2001 Adult Book / Large Print / Nonfiction / Biography / Ryan, Terry 1 On Shelf No requests on this item
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Call Number: Adult Book / Large Print / Nonfiction / Biography / Ryan, Terry
On Shelf At: Westgate Branch
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Westgate Adult Books 4-week checkout |
Adult Book / Large Print / Nonfiction / Biography / Ryan, Terry | 4-week checkout | On Shelf |
COMMUNITY REVIEWS
The Prize Winner of Defiance Ohio
submitted by leighsprauer on February 18, 2024, 11:12am
This is a delightful and surprisingly inspiring book. Terry Ryan writes a biography of her mother, a humble mother of ten from northwest Ohio who is a ‘contester.’ During the 1950s and early 60s, advertisers launched hundreds of contests for jingles, ads, and short poems, to promote their products, spawning ‘contesting’ as a hobby among housewives, primarily. For Evelyn Ryan, though, is was more than a hobby: it was a critical source of income for her large family with an alcoholic father. Evelyn’s very productive ‘contesting,’ in addition to her poems and essays for local newspapers, provided not only a much-needed income, but fulfilled her own need for creative outlet, and inspired an optimism and joy for her whole family.
Ryan does a beautiful job of weaving family anecdotes (which were often the inspiration for her mother’s writing) throughout the book, a la Cheaper by the Dozen. She also includes many of her mother’s contest submissions, which give fascinating insight into the advertising world of the post-War era. She also manages to portray his father, whose alcoholism nearly destroyed the family several times, with some degree of sympathy and love. The real hero, of course though, is Evalyn, whose optimism, wit, and work carried the family through it all.
PUBLISHED
Waterville, ME : G.K. Hall, 2001.
Year Published: 2001
Description: 400 p.
Language: English
Format: Large Type
ISBN/STANDARD NUMBER
0783895755 :
SUBJECTS
Ryan, Evelyn -- Family.
Ryan family.
Prize contests in advertising.
Working mothers.
Mothers -- Employment.
Defiance (Ohio) -- Biography.