THE HOME FOR THE FRIENDLESS: REVIEW AND BONUS ENTRIES

GIVEAWAY ENDED
THE HOME FOR THE FRIENDLESS
BY BETTY AUCHARD 

REMINDER ABOUT THE BOOK:

The eldest of three in an unconventional family making their way through The Great Depression, Betty narrates this humorous and poignant recollection. Although poor in possessions, Betty’s family leads a life so rich in turmoil that it rivals today’s sitcoms.

Betty’s young parents tie and untie the marital knot three times amidst a string of separations. When relatives become too weary to keep the children, Betty and her siblings are dropped off at The Home for the Friendless where they enjoy three meals a day, indoor plumbing, a grassy playground, and plenty of holiday parties.

The family reunites two years later and the roller coaster resumes. The Peals move multiple times across two states, proving that love overcomes all and that normal isn’t always better.

MY REVIEW:

THE HOME FOR THE FRIENDLESS: FINDING HOPE, LOVE, AND FAMILY by Betty Auchard is a warm, entertaining, and time relevant look back at the author’s young life with her family from Iowa growing up during the depression age generation years. Narrated by Betty Auchard as a young child through her teen years, from her own memory and stories she gathered from family members, THE HOME FOR THE FRIENDLESS is honest and poignant while still having many parts that make you smile and laugh. Betty tells how her parents loved each other in their own way but parted and then got back together many times over the years. Although they did this, the narration still resonates with love for her parents no matter what situation the children were put in, especially since it is told from a loving child’s point of view.

The book is divided into periods of Betty’s life with charming photographs taken during those times. Part One tells of The Early Years and is filled with tales of family and bed wetting, thumb sucking, and holiday parties which believe it or not, carries over into Part Two Life at the Home for the Friendless. Although the children were often left with relatives during tough times or times when their parents were apart, Part Two at the home was the first time that was a very different point in Betty’s life. She recalls everything from being afraid at first to making toothpaste into peppermint candy, as well as celebrations and education in all forms! Other parts do talk about other places the children stayed but THE HOME FOR THE FRIENDLESS seemed to make the biggest impression on the author.

Part Three goes into living in their first home on 32nd Street as A Real Family and moves into what it was like growing up during the war in the next two parts. The last parts focus on Betty growing into a woman and in Part Eight, the stories are about Becoming Betty Peal. I think it was especially nice that at the end of the book, Betty Auchard has supplied a valuable “History Lesson” as she explains in what is referred to as Betty Boop’s History Lessons, various people or terms that many people, especially younger generations, have no idea about. From Betty Grable and Buffalo Bob, (who I met as a child when I was on the Howdy Doody Show), to Fireside Chats and Penny Loafers. For me, the History Lessons at the end was the most valuable and memorable part, even though I totally enjoyed all of the stories of Betty’s life and her time in THE HOME FOR THE FRIENDLESS. The enjoyment from this book can also be added to what we can learn from this story of what it is like to persevere and make it through tough economic times. Thanks for it all, Betty Auchard!

 GIVEAWAY

THANKS TO BETTY AND 
HER PUBLICIST, STEPHANIE BARKO,
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