This is first person view of a funny kid adopted into a not so funny family and the underlying impact of the lessons learned.
In 1937 adopting a child was not as complicated as today...at least in the case of this author's experience. It was more of "possession is nine tenths of the law" according to her description of how she ended up with her parents. She takes the reader on a journey through the eyes of a little girl who retained the memories of many significant emotional events, some quite funny, some just the opposite.
This is a well written and honest subjective look at the confusing and oftimes conflicting messages delivered by the adults in a child's life and how it impacted her through her adult life.
There is a message in this book for parents that should open the eyes of the reader to recognize the power they have in forming the self image of their children. There is a lesson to the child in us all to exam closely what we have been taught to believe about ourselves and then separate the fact from the fiction.
Excerpt
I would listen to Ma talk on the phone to the club women. She talked about them to each other. From eaves-dropping on her conversations, I had formed an opinion of each of them. One evening a lady didn't show and I was called to the living room to play. "Sit opposite of Mrs. Dewey," Mas instructed me.
"I want to play with Mrs. Snay," was my reply. (I thought being her partner would ensure my getting a bologna salad sandwich.)
"You are playing with Mrs. Dewey this evening! Now get over there like I said."
"I don't want to play with Mrs. Dewey."
"Why don't you want to play with her?"
"Because she cheats!"
"She doesn't cheat."
"Uh huh,she does too. That's what you and Lila said. I heard you on the telephone. You said that Mrs. Dewey cheats a lot and you don't like to play with her either."
The story of Ron Hull, paralyzed in a surgical accident back in the dreaded polio epidemic days, was able to overcome most of the stigma and stereotypes and "pass for normal" for 30 years. As Ron's paralysis increased gradually through the next 20
