Book Reviews of The Prize Winner of Defiance, Ohio : How My Mother Raised 10 Kids on 25 Words or Less

In this book
you will see
a mother's love
through creativity

This is an entertaining and true story of a wife and mother of 10 who uses product contests in the 1950s to supplement her family's meager living. An easy but interesting read about a great family.

While the blurb on the back of the book describes the book perfectly, I was most impressed by this woman, who after raising 10 kids and sending them all off to college on full scholarships, continued to support her husband while he eventually became a better man. He banked every penny of his pension as she supported him in retirement, and surprised her with a gift of it all, upon his death. It was so much money that she was able to live and travel off the interest and her own pension, and leave the total amount to her kids!

Blurb on the back of the book: "This plucky middle American chronicle, starring an unsinkable, relentlessly resourceful mother and her Madison Avenue-style magic, succeeds on many leels -- as a tale of family spirit triumphing over penury, as a history of mid-century American consumerism, and as a memoir about a woman who was both ahead of her time and unable to escape it." --- The New Yorker

Although a lot of this book was heartbreaking it was also funny and touching. The mother was a genius at writing jingles and ad lines. She did what what she did best to keep a roof over their heads and food on the table.

I read this book straight through. Besides being an good story, it is an interesting look at what a woman's life in the 1950's-60s was like if she lived with an alcoholic who was abusive at times. Furthermore, it is a wonderful book about a bright woman with a great deal of determination. The final chapters provide insight on how the children saw their mother differently (that is, better understood her) once they looked through her belongings after her death. It made me cry at the end because I think many of us know women like her...

Loved this book about a mom of 10 who entered the word contests of the 50's and 60's and helped support her family through prizes--both cash and items like appliances and cars. The book has parts that are hysterically funny, poignant, and inspiring.

An entertaining and quick read--> This was a VERY inspirational story about a woman who managed to keep her family (10 kids!) above the poverty line by using her talent for writing to enter contests in the 1940s and 1950s (jingles, why you like our product in 25 words or less, etc). This book is written by her daughter and you really get a sense of how her mother was a very intelligent, witty, and positive person who started off life with a dream of being a newspaper writer and ended up being a writer in her own way. Evelyn Ryan was trapped in a time period where women were expected to stay at home, but she still found a way to provide for her family. Evelyn's daughter, Terry Ryan paints a very colorful picture of what it was like to live in a house with 10 siblings and an alcoholic father. Her portrayal of her father seems quite realistic- the fear the family felt when he was drinking, how he wanted to stop but was just so consumed by addiction, and the consequences years of drinking took on his body and on his family. Anyway, I felt myself cheering for Evelyn Ryan the entire time and she really shows how any mother would do whatever it is she could do to help her children not only survive, but thrive.

Quite interesting! Like a trip down memory lane. An awesome tribute to "Mother".

I love this book. I was brought to tears several times by the tales of this family. I saw the movie (which I loved) first, and knew I had to read the book. It didn't let me down. I strongly reccomend both of them.

The biography of a woman who raised 10 children by entering contests in the 50's and 60's when you completed jingles or with 25 words or less entries. (written by one of her daughters.)

This is a great story!!!! Much better than the movie!

Subtitled "How My Mother Raised 10 Kids on 25 Words or Less," this is the story of an otherwise ordinary woman who supported her family in the 1950s and 60s by winning contests - written by kid #6. An absolute delight.

Great book, great true story. It will really make you laugh and cry. Highly recommend!

What a fun book! Really captured what it was like to be involved in contests in this timeperiod, great pictures, samples of contest entries and a story line that made it fun to keep reading.

True-life story of an Ohio woman who supplemented her family's income to provide for the family's 10 children by entering (and frequently winning) the "25 words or less" type contests popular in the 1950s.

Great story about how a mother in the 1950's kept her family from poverty by contentiously winning prizes for writing witty jingles or catchphrases for companies. It's a good movie and an even better book.

i though this book was very cute. i loved the mother's charm and her tenacity. i found it entertaining and fun to read.

This was a really great story!

This book is a delight to read. Funny, touching, and very clever. You will never forget Evelyn Ryan once you've heard her story.

Quirky, interesting fast read!

Great story - reminded me of my mother

I enjoyed this tremendously- anyone with a 50s mother will appreciate especially

A very quick and entertaining memoir. I'm looking forward to the movie!

This is a very interesting and remarkable story, but I felt the writing was very bland and not very smooth flowing.

This was a good book about a gutsy woman. When things seemed like nothing was going right and money was short a win always seemed to come through. Evelyn Ryan, who kept poverty at bay with wit, poetry, and perfect prose during the "contest era" of the 1950's and 60.

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