Shadows In My House Of Sunshine: A Journey of Discovery - Softcover

Betts, Emilie

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1439244995 ISBN 13: 9781439244999

Publisher: BookSurge Publishing, 2009

Synopsis

When you reach the end of Emilie Betts’ courageous memoir, “Shadows in My House of Sunshine,” you will feel like you are old friends. Her writing takes you on her life’s journey, from the loss of a happy childhood home during the Great Depression, through her family’s struggle to survive, to the later years of her life, when a surprise twist showed her a happy home could be anywhere. Emilie’s story is brave in its honesty, engaging in its frank look at her life, and clever in the way it weaves in historic events of the 20th century. Each of her homes has a connection to societal changes (the awakening of feminism, the free-love era of the 1960s) or a tie to history, such as the outing at her Florida home, when everyone looked up to see the space shuttle explode. Emilie’s search for happiness and security she once felt in her “house of sunshine” captures your emotions. You’ll root for Emilie the child, cheer for Emilie, the woman and when you reach the last page, you’ll wish for more.

About this title

Review:

An enjoyable slice of Americana. This engaging--if not compelling--memoir follows the life of an American girl from the Great Depression to 9/11.

Betts is a pleasant companion. Clear-eyed and insightful, she successfully brings the past to life, making it palpable and real. Her once well-to-do parents fell on hard times during the Great Depression and the family became vagabonds roving from one temporary home to another. But the author does not wallow in the low points or shy away from them. There was a lot of love in the family, but also many fights and much drunkenness, which Betts describes in unsparing detail. Her parents were capable of turning a poverty-ridden Easter into something magical. The author accepts the good and the bad of her reality. She holds true to this trait even as she moves into adulthood, talking frankly about the ups and downs of being a wife and mother and of her lifelong struggles to balance her needs with those of her husband and children. In her handling of her husband, Bob, readers discover Betts' soft spot as a memoirist. She is forthright in her assessment, portraying a man of considerable charm, intellect and cruelty. --Kirkus Discoveries

About this edition

• Publisher: BookSurge Publishing
• Publication date: 2009
• ISBN 10: 1439244995
• ISBN 13: 9781439244999
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 342