Memoirs of a Dynamo

Have you ever gotten home from a long, hard day at work, feeling like you were run over by a truck? You can barely muster the energy to flop down in a chair and limply grasp the tv remote? I sure have. Well, after reading this book, you'll feel like a big old baby when that urge strikes, because Mary Mann Hamilton was awe-inspiring in her fortitude and strength. Born in 1866 and married in 1885, she and her husband (and their kids) scraped their way to a living, through brains, grit and determination, when many others failed. To boot, Frank (hubby) often traveled for work, so Mary and kids were really the mainstays of the family and the reason they survived. As with any book written in this time, there are many cruel hardships and some jarring cultural references. In an era (so late in the game) of Black Lives Matter concerns, some of the references to folks of another color were just plain painful, and conjure some real discussions about the chain of events after "emancipation." But that's another topic for another book at another time, and worthy of much more airtime. If you read this solely for the trip back in time and the experience of one family trying to stay afloat, this is really astounding. And next time that hard day at work rolls around, you'll probably feel a little less sorry for yourself.