CJ: I hate to sound like a naysayer, but this book, though gripping, almost has me questioning if any of the stories were embellished. The author seems to have incredibly vivid memories from very early ages.
FM: The descriptions of the shack they lived in during this period do seem just on the edge of unreal to those of us who never had to experience these kinds of hardships. Having to pull a tarp over yourself to stay dry in your own bed when it rains and the roof leaks. Doing battle with a large rat over your sugar bowl. Carving the maggoty parts off your dinner ham to get to the edible parts. Melting the icicles from your kitchen ceiling to get drinking water. Yet these are all told in such a matter of fact manner that they seem believable to me. I think the author probably left out many events that she didn’t remember quite so vividly. The ones we’re reading are those that are most indelibly stamped in her memory.
CJ: The only thing that seems to keep me hanging on is the fact that the parents, though genius, are mentally ill. I fully expected the DHS guy to return & find that was how Jeannette escaped the life in Welch. While typing I am reminded of a classmate who was dirty all the time, yet I don't ever remember anyone other than a few of us girls trying to help her out. Government intervention in parenting wasn't as obtrusive in the early 70's as it is today. I guess it's just hard for us in the middle class to accept that there are Americans who live in squalor, sometimes possibly by choice.
CJ: The only thing that seems to keep me hanging on is the fact that the parents, though genius, are mentally ill. I fully expected the DHS guy to return & find that was how Jeannette escaped the life in Welch. While typing I am reminded of a classmate who was dirty all the time, yet I don't ever remember anyone other than a few of us girls trying to help her out. Government intervention in parenting wasn't as obtrusive in the early 70's as it is today. I guess it's just hard for us in the middle class to accept that there are Americans who live in squalor, sometimes possibly by choice.
FM: Considering the time and place, the fact that a DHS rep even appeared is remarkable. That fact that he never came back again is typical of a government bureaucrat type!
CJ: I am angered at the parents purposeful undermining of the kids attempts to have a better life. Garbage in the foundation hole, refusal to help with painting the house, to get water service, etc. Too much like my own mother. She didn't physically sabotage me, but always told me I would fail at whatever endeavor I embarked on. I can relate to the kids determination not to be like their parents.
CJ: I am angered at the parents purposeful undermining of the kids attempts to have a better life. Garbage in the foundation hole, refusal to help with painting the house, to get water service, etc. Too much like my own mother. She didn't physically sabotage me, but always told me I would fail at whatever endeavor I embarked on. I can relate to the kids determination not to be like their parents.
FM: One of the most heart-breaking episodes occurs when Jeannette’s father uses her as sexual bait at the pool hall to lure men into complacency so that he can con them out of their money shooting pool, even allowing one of them to take her “upstairs” where she has to fend for herself. When he compares this with his method of teaching her to swim – the “sink or swim” method – we wonder if he’s finally lost the respect of the only family member who still had any for him. But no, we find that she manages to hang on to some shred of that respect, and we wonder how much longer that can last.
Next segment: Conclusion
August's book: "In Cold Blood," by Truman Capote!
