The Prize Winner of Defiance, Ohio: How My Mother Raised 10 Kids on 25 Words or Less Reviews

During the 1950's and 1960's, corporate America went through a phase often referred to as the "contest era". Companies would sponsor contests where consumers were instructed to write an advertising slogan, or jingle, for a specific product. The entries were judged and the best ones were awarded with prizes ranging from thousands of dollars in cash; new cars; and household appliances both large and small.

Thousands and thousands of people entered these contests, but there was one woman who seemed to have an exceptional talent for composing the winning entries. Her name was Evelyn Ryan, of Defiance,...

This book fits into the category of a memoir, although it is not a true memoir. The story is told by the middle child of 10 children, Terry Ryan. It is more of a tribute to Terry's mother who somehow reared her children during the 50's and 60's on less than $90/week. Evelyn Lehman Ryan, who graduated at the top of her class in high school, would have become a writer or journalist. Instead, she married a man who eventually became an alcoholic and with his drinking consumed 1/3 of his paycheck every week. In an age where most women did not work outside their homes, and as a mother at a young...

The Prize Winner of Defiance, Ohio introduces us to an unforgettable character.  It's a daughter's tribute to her mother, a woman cumbered with a cascade of children and an alcoholic and chronically under-employed husband.  Through sheer determination and pluck, she keeps this rickety ship afloat.  Entertaining and inspiring - if you lived the '50's, there's something here for you!