Helen is the second child born into a family of nine children in
the hilly undeveloped region of Eastern Kentucky just before the
great depression. She learned at an early age that her right leg
had been affected by polio. She refuses to believe or allow polio
to prevent her from doing all the things her peers and siblings do.
Maggie, her older sister, is her idol. She follows her wherever she
goes and attempts to do all the things Maggie does: even though
many are very difficult for her. All the children are responsible
for many chores on the farm their father Lee had inherited from his
father. The children have no toys except the ones their parents
make for them: such as board games, wooden sleds, sliding boards
and bran stuffed dolls. At the age of six Helen enters school to
begin first grade in a one room schoolhouse. They use an outdoor
toilet and a well to draw water for drinking. The schoolhouse is
heated in winter by burning coal in a pot belly stove. There is
only one teacher for all eight grades of children ranging in ages
six through sixteen. The children carry their lunch in a four pound
lard bucket and sit on a rock or under a tree to eat. When the
sawmill where Lee works closes down, most of the men are left with
no way to earn money. A few men are still working in the coal
mines, but Lee hates the mines and looks for other ways to survive
the depression. Some of the men turn to making moonshine and
selling it to survive even though it is against the law to make
moonshine. Helen spends her junior and senior high school years
away in boarding school. She spends all her spare time working in
the kitchen to earn money to help pay her tuition and room and
board. The teenagersin the neighborhood are always busy on the
weekends. That''s when they go square dancing, bean stringing and
to box suppers. It is at one of these square dances that Helen
meets and falls in love with her best friend''s brother James. He
gives her an engagement ring and they plan to
General
Is the information for this product incomplete, wrong or inappropriate?
Let us know about it.
Does this product have an incorrect or missing image?
Send us a new image.
Is this product missing categories?
Add more categories.
Review This Product
No reviews yet - be the first to create one!
Welcome to Loot.co.za!
Sign in / Register |Wishlists & Gift Vouchers |Help | Advanced search
