The Prize Winner of Defiance, Ohio

A touching story of determination, set in Middle America in the 1950s, reveals how one mother used her writing talent to support her large family's many needs. With 10 children to raise and little help from her alcoholic husband, Ryan's mother started entering marketing contests--the kind that asked for 25 words or less--and discovered she could win time and again. This talent and perseverance left an impression on one of her daughters, Terry, whose book is the basis for this loving audio remembrance. Ryan's ordinary reading quickly becomes a nonissue as the determination and faith of her heroine become the core of a story that most listeners will have trouble putting aside. T.W. (c) AudioFile 2003, Portland, Maine


In the 1950s, advertising agencies put enthusiastic consumers to work, encouraging them to write jingles and slogans with promises of big rewards. Author Terry Ryan's mother was one of those "contesters" who accepted every challenge. With 10 children and an unreliable husband, Evelyn Ryan actually kept the family afloat, sometimes a dollar at a time from poetry contests, sometimes with more lucrative wins like cars, trips, and cash. Simply put, this audiobook is amazing. Carrington MacDuffie's reading fits the author's voice: earnest, affectionate, and real. The listener is absorbed in family drama as tough times are consistently tempered by triumph. Punctuated by the witty entries themselves, this memoir is a tribute to the American spirit. L.B.F. (c) AudioFile 2002, Portland, Maine