A Long Row to Hoe

Clark's autobiography of his astonishing primitive river bank childhood in Catlettsburg, Kentucky at the junction of the Big Sandy and Ohio Rivers. Clark was a member of a sprawling, ragged family. His father was an intelligent, fiddle-playing shoemaker with little formal education. His mother often took in washing to help provide food for the family. The boy grew up in a derelict house, "The Leaning Tower," on the banks of the Ohio River. Always hungry, often dirty, and without sufficient clothing, he led an adventurous life on the two rivers, swimming, fishing and salvaging flotsam from the frequent floods. Billy was the only one of his family to seek an education, and through his traps, his river salvage, and odd jobs, he earned money to put himself through school. His final chapter ends with a powerful account of his parent's pride at his graduation.