Rating: 
Summary: More than just a pretty face
Review: The lives portrayed are a testament to the power of the arts in saving children. Barbara and her siblings were enriched by their mother's love of poetry and music and by her strength and love. Children in poverty, with distressing home environments, and with personal disabilities can overcome when they are given encouragement, the power of language, and support at key moments along the way. You will not believe this book can be true - that someone raised in such an environment could turn out to be able to create such a beautiful narrative.
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Summary: A Story of Resilience and Redemption
Review: There are not enough words to describe the depth and breadth of this beautifully written memoir. This is not a book one will hold in their hands, the characters quickly forgotten when another book takes its place. This is a story that will linger in our hearts, come back at precisely the right time to remind us of the very essence of being -- hope. An exemplary story of resilience and redemption. This is writing at its finest.
Rating: 
Summary: Incredible, unbelievable, ultimately moving
Review: This book is being compared to 'Angela's Ashes' in every review I've seen, and with good reason. Barbara's father shared numerous traits with Frank McCourt's, and the hardships, poverty and many other difficulties faced by both families were somewhat similar. So many sad, crazy, incredible and unbelievable things happen to this family, though - it's one of those 'truth is stranger than fiction' things. If you'd seen a Hollywood movie (and there may very well be one eventually) about this family, you'd say 'yeah, right, all of that couldn't actually happen to a family in real life'. But it did, and their story is amazing, mostly in the sense that it appears that most of the children turned out OK. Much credit is given to their remarkable mother's spirit, teaching the children about art, poetry, theatre and music despite the enormous gulf between such things and this family's daily existence. But I think the kids themselves leaned on each other, and drew from a tough inner strength. Read this book! I admire Barbara Robinette Moss and her entire family.
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Summary: EXTRAORDINARY!
Review: This book took my breath away. Was it the deep honesty? Was it the triumphs, sometimes so small but critical, in the face of such tragedy? Was it the nostaglia I experienced since the author lived through the same era I did- not the poverty but the wickedness of alcoholism, rawness of the Civil Rights battle, collecting of deposit soda bottles for a little extra change? Was it the strength of character, the juxtaposition of the cruelty and generosity of people? I imagine it is all of this and the lyrical writing. The book was so powerful when I read the last page I was drawn to reread other sections again. This book is an important witness to the destructiveness of family secrets and the hope for people demanding change for themselves and their families.
Rating:
Summary: Appropriate for Classroom Use
Review: This book, both informative and poignant, is one that I plan to recommend to students in anthropology, education, sociology and to instructors of courses dealing with issues affecting modern family life in America. With her frank, straightforward writing style, the author causes every reader to realize that not all American children have access to the American Dream. This book makes one recognize that it is time for each American to get involved in correcting inequality in the U.S. during the next millenium.
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Summary: Destined to be a bestseller
Review: This book, written by an amazing woman, has all the depth and more passion than Angela's Ashes. It moved me to tears, the determination of one little girl to overcome the harsh hand life dealt her and convey it to us, her readers. I read this book in one day. I couldn't put it down. Barbara Robinette Moss captivated me and shared the story of a life so foreign to me in graphic and compassionate detail. I loved the book.
Rating:
Summary: Sad, Inspiring, and Triumphant
Review: This incredible collection of memoirs tells the story of a family constantly challenged to overcome turbulence and torture. It is a testimony to the strength that grew out of hardship. At the same time it catapults us back to rural Alabama in the 1960's. We are entertained, shocked, but ultimately inspired by this moving story. It will grip you in it's first chapter, and never let you go.
Rating:
Summary: Draws you in
Review: This is a beautifully written book. Think what you want about alcoholism and the welfare system (see judgments by a previous reviewer)....the writer was a *child* in this situation and now writes eloquently and compassionately about her experiences. I might not have picked this book up on my own, but after hearing her interviewed on NPR, I got it. I was immediately drawn in; I highly recommend it.
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Summary: Change me into Zeus' daughter
Review: this is a really great book!!! everyone should read this book!!!!!!!!!
Rating:
Summary: An eye-opener, a marvelous memoir
Review: This is an excellent and well-written memoir. It opened my eyes to what life was like in another place at another time. Moss has a unique way of making the reader feel as if they are actually in the story. The only thing I didn't like is that there are a few loose-ends at the end of the story and it doesn't really finish telling what the final outcome of some of the events were. The story eludes to what may have happened, but I was a little confused about what actually did.
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