Showing results by author "Ethel Wilson" in All Categories

Sunday Wild Child captures the point of view of the mother as well as that of the daughter in this homespun tale of small town Florida life of the 40s and early 50s. It depicts a powerful, but disturbing, picture of poverty, racism, and juvenile cruelty. On the other hand, it showcases the strength of will to overcome those conditions through perseverance.

Eleven stories based on people with "jewel" names who were Southerners. These vignettes give the listener insight into the lives of these people before they died. Some will make you laugh, but most will break your heart. Each story has an obituary that precedes it. There is one which has extensive Southern dialect. Even though the audiobook is a collection of stories about dead people, some of the life stories are quite humorous.

The Florida Industrial School for Boys, which in later years was Dozier School for Boys existed for over a century in the panhandle town of Marianna. Boys from throughout the state went there to be reformed. Early on, some residents were orphans as young as five-years-old who were placed in custodial care.