Half Broke Horses by Jeanette Walls

Half Broke Horses by Jennette Walls rings a little too true to life for me. I have known people like Lily, the main character of this book. The work was hard, the weather cruel, death was as natural as life, and hardships were meant to be endured. The elderly people I knew at my childhood were tough as nails. In fact, it was a sign of weakness to nurse many emotions at all. I remember a time in the 1970s (much later than this book is set) when an elderly man told his middle-aged son that he loved him for the first time. Most folk in those days, at least in the southwest, were like that for years. That generation knew that to keep the family fed the only option was hard work and grit. There wasn't much time for sentimentality. I really connected with Lily. To me this book was not only sobering about the hard times people endured but also incredibly funny. I found hiliarity in very obscene times. The thought of hauling school children in an old hearse with the words "school bus" & "taxi" on it sent me over the edge. I did find that Lily's personality became stronger and more interesting as the years passed by. Many people do that as they age. I can see where other people in the book were not a little afraid of her. As a gushing emotional woman I wouldn't make the list of practical people for Lily, but I appreciate the person she was and the people she represents played their part in making this country great. This book will marinaide in my mind for years. It is definately unforgetable. Elaine Littau, author of Nan's Journey & Elk's Resolve