Little Heathens: A Heartfelt Look at the Struggles and Triumphs of an Iowa Farm Family During the Great Depression

Jack: I grew up on the tail end of this era in the midwest, and I appreciate the memories and insights. It was a little tedious at times but enlightening.

United States on Sep 16, 2023

L. Higgins: There are a variety of tales and anecdotes about life during the Great Depression, yet many who survived don’t want to talk about it. The experiences of those in the cities were quite different from those living in the country. Regardless of location, however, all but the very wealthy suffered and their lives and perspectives were formed or altered by their experiences.

In Little Heathens, Mildred Armstrong Kalish shares what life was like for herself and her extended family. It is somewhat difficult to distinguish between the normal trials of endless farm work and the efforts needed to reuse and repurpose items because of deprivation of money and resources. “Thrown away” was a foreign concept during this time and thrift was the champion of the day. Kalish shares the many saving and “make-do” tricks that were common during the Depression and some that were uncommon. Many of those have fallen out of use, but are still handy to know and good examples of the resourcefulness of our predecessors.

Kalish lays her memories out forthrightly, not concealing or varnishing the stories. Many are humorous and several are gasp-worth. Children worked alongside adults...

United States on Sep 17, 2021

Glenn Langley: As I fast approach 60 I find myself looking back to my younger years and although not nearly as exciting as these, your memories helped to jog & jar my own fond ones loose of my grandparents dairy farm. Thank you so much for telling your story

Australia on Oct 22, 2018

AnnG: ..........couldn't get into the book....didn't finish it.

Canada on Jun 01, 2018

Teacher22: Very disappointed in this book after the reviews. The premise and history were entertaining, but the writing style and quality were not. Almost as if it couldn't make up its mind whether it was meant to be a story -- it had too many "telling" and not enough "showing" passages, and it didn't flow well. E.g. first sentence of Chapter 6: "For us children, building character, developing a sense of responsibility, and above all, improving one's mind constituted the essential focus of our lives." Zzzzzzzz. Bought to give as a Christmas gift, but changed my mind after reading.

Canada on Feb 04, 2015

e.majorie smith: wonderful, brought me back to my childhood.

Canada on Oct 17, 2014

Josephine Briggs: How things have changed from yesterday to today. This is a delightful memoir filled with loads of humor. In fact, there are quite a few laughs to be gotten from reading this book, plus lots of human knowledge. There was plenty of hard work, both housework and farm chores that needed to be done. But there were many hands to get it accomplished. Even the youngest, the little kids, as the author calls them were made to help. So the family all worked together.

There were seven in Mildred's immediate family, Mildred's grandparents, her mother, two older brothers, Mildred herself, and her little sister. Her father was absent from the family and never heard from. Mildred never knew why.

The grandparents were strict and expected good behavior, good manners, and good conduct from their grandchildren. Strong character was needed and should be built from babyhood. Grandpa was land rich, he owned four farms, but money was scarce. During long cold Iowa winters only the living room and kitchen were heated to conserve heat. Mrs Kalich was brought up upon saving,recycling everything.recycle, recycle as everything was used and reused and reused again in her childhood home. That...

United States on Aug 16, 2010