Mother Knows Best

Promises I Made My Mother by Sam Haskell, with David Rensin

Grade: A

Genre: Book

I met Sam Haskell personally and can honestly say that he is one of the nicest and most positive people I have ever met, so I may be biased without realizing it as I am writing my opinion of his book. His book Promises I Made My Mother is an inspirational collection of stories from his own life. His book is not autobiographical but, rather, a collection of stories that relate to each of the lessons that he learned from a wonderful woman – his mother. His stories come from all stages of his life, from when he was a boy scout in Mississippi till after he retired from being an agent in Hollywood.

One such story that I really enjoyed reading about was the one of his undying faith that the “Cheer Man” would come to his house out of all the houses in the U.S. when he was a boy, and after many people mocked him for having such a wild dream the “Cheer Man” really did come to his house.

One aspect that I really like about how this book was written is how Haskell admits to all the mistakes he made in his stories and does not try to portray himself as a perfect human being. Even though it may seem like he grew up with the perfect life at first, the reader later reads of his hardships such as his parents’ divorce and the incidences that happened his last few years at the William Morris Agency. Knowing this, it is a book that everyone can relate to when they read it because they have the assurance that they are not reading some book written by some sheltered, naive person who grew up in the perfect life in the South. I think that anyone who reads this book can at least find one story they can relate to.

He may mention the faults of some of the people he encountered in his life, but it is only for the purpose of telling his stories which have a deeper meaning, rather than a way of making certain people look bad. He usually points out the strengths in people throughout his book. I really enjoyed reading about the integrity and great characters of some of Haskell’s clients such as Dolly Parton and Ray Romano as I read his stories.

This book definitely made me laugh and it also made me cry. It is the type of book that leaves you feeling positive and with a feeling that you can accomplish anything you set your heart to. All the way through this book I saw it as completely honest and well written. It is hard to find anything to complain about. It is definitely a worthwhile read.

Plums of Optimism in a Story of Struggle

On the Banks of Plum Creek by Laura Ingalls Wilder

Grade: B+

Genre: Book

Imagine what life would be like if you permanently left your comfortable house to move to another state and live in a hole in the ground. For Laura Ingalls Wilder this is just another event in her life.

On the Banks of Plum Creek tells the story of Laura Ingalls after her family moved out of the little house on the prairie in Kansas to live in a creek bank dugout in Minnesota. Her father soon builds a house and plants a wheat crop which he hopes to sell to pay off the debt her family has accumulated. However, at the end of the summer a cloud of millions of crickets soon shatters their hope when it comes and destroys their crop. Unlike the books in the series that precede it, this book includes an account of the suffering that Laura and her family go through after the crickets arrive and when her father has to leave her family for weeks to find work in the east.

Out of the Little House books I have read so far, I loved this one the most. What I really liked about this book was that it is not just about Laura, her family, and their daily life in and around a log cabin anymore. In this book Laura and her sister Mary begin to attend school as well as church for the first time, and they meet and make friends with girls outside of their family. Laura also has to deal with a spoiled girl named Nellie who bullies her and her friends.

The only aspect about this book that I disliked was the slow beginning, but once I was able to get past it I was able to enjoy the great story that followed.

This book does an excellent job of drawing the reader into its world and feeling a connection with the characters and feeling sympathy for their struggles. Even though Laura and her family go through hard times in this book, it has an optimistic tone that leaves the reader with a positive feeling once he or she reaches the last page and it shows the importance of family and sacrifice. It is a wonderful book that provides hope even during our modern hard times.