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The Prize Winner of Defiance, Ohio | 
 enlarge | Manufacturer: Simon & Schuster
Category: EBooks
List Price: $7.99
Buy New: $6.39
You Save: $1.60 (20%)
Avg. Customer Rating:  123 reviews
Sales Rank: 20674
Format: Kindle Book
Media: Kindle Edition
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 384
Dewey Decimal Number: 977.114043092
ASIN: B000FC0T18
Publication Date: January 7, 2004
Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours
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Product Description
Meet Evelyn Ryan, mother of six sons and four daughters, who kept her family afloat during the "contest era" of the 1950s and 1960s by writing jingles and entering TV, radio, newspaper, and direct-mail contests. Her infectious joy and winning spirit triumphed, providing her humble family with bikes, cars, TVs, jukeboxes, and trips to New York and Switzerland.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 118 more reviews...
 Wonderful and Inspiring Story - Audio Version Narrator is Great November 30, 2008
This book was recommended to me by a friend and I am thrilled to have found this treasure.
A wonderful, humorous and touching story about a family of 12 (10 kids) growing up in the 50's and 60's. With such a large family, an alcoholic father and a stay at home mom, money was always tight. Mom takes to contesting with writing poems and jingles to earn extra income and prizes to support her family. Her timing of winning was impecable and you found yourself rooting for her to win again to keep the family afloat. Evelyn Ryan seemed to find the good in everything, no matter what the circumstances and never seemed to dwell on their dire circumstances. She was certainly an amazing woman to be admired.
Her poems and jingles and the details of the contests are discussed, adding to the humor and the charm of the story. I listened to the audio version of this book and the narrator does a great job bringing the story to life.
This is non-fiction, but it reads quite like fiction. A truly inspiring story that I would highly recommend to anyone looking for light humor and inspiration.
 the prizewinner of defiance ohio April 25, 2008
This book is a real-life account of growing up in a large family with limited financial means and often rocky family dynamics. The matriarch of this clan is the prizewinner of the title. While raising 10 kids and keeping the wolf from the door, she hits upon a way to generate income by entering any/every contest that comes along. She frequently does win, of course, very often in the nick of time. The book was written by a daughter, who ably recounts the challenges and rewards of growing up in a family that lives so close to the edge. Her mother is a gritty, funny, honest-to-god domestic goddess. She is a prize-winner in so many ways--it makes this book uplifting without being sappy--good read.
The Prize Winner of Defiance, Ohio February 13, 2008
I saw the movie based on the book first. Once I found out it was a book, I had to read it. I couldn't put it down.
Interesting to think what could have been January 4, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
I thought this was a wonderful book that came to my attention only after the author had died. The story revolves around a family of 10 kids, an alcoholic father and how the mother (sporadically) supports them by winning contests and jingles she (Evelyn) has written.
While the story wouldn't hold up in this century - I thought it was a great slice of life of the 50's. Evelyn's journals and contest entrys are well preserved and entertaining to read. She must have kept everything!
Underneath all the entrys and journals is a smart woman. She knows the power of the written word and also hooks up with a group a ladies that also enter such contests. These women are smart as whips - yet somewhat stymied by their roles in life - housewives. Contesting offers them a way to challenge their wits and writing.
The father is a somewhat disappointing character - but somehow he even redeems himself, but you have to read the book to find out how!
As good as I thought it would be December 20, 2007
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
I first heard of this book on the Today Show. Then I happened to run across the movie on HBO. It is a good quick read.
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