A Room of My Own

This remarkable coming of age story is set in 1932, in a Minnesota town during the Depression.
As the story opens, 13 year old Virginia's life seems unaffected by the Depression, her interest include going to the movies, and dreaming along with her best friend Charlotte about who they will marry some day. He father is a doctor, and while they are not wealthy, they are living pretty comfortably.

Her world begins to change when her Uncle Jim loses his job, and he and his family move in with them, and Virginia feels put out when she has to give up her room for her aunt and uncle, and share a room with her 3 and 5 year old sisters, she just can't understand why her uncle can't just get another job.

Her eyes begin to open though when she accompanies her father to Soo City, a shantytown set up near the railroad tracks on the edge of town. There she begins to understand what is going on in the world, as she helps her father as he gives aid to those needing medical care. As she gets to know the residents there, her heart begins to change and she begins to understand how blessed she really is.

This was the first Ann Tatlock book I have ever read, but it won't be the last. This story, and her writing style, remind of another remarkable book, To Kill a Mockingbird. The author really made me feel as if I were viewing the world through Virginia's eyes, and her growth and the maturity she acquired felt realistic and authentic.

"A Room of My Own" takes place during the Great Depression. The main character is 13-year old, Virginia, daughter of a prominent physician whose life is forever altered by the Great Depression as it sweeps across the country into her community and home. Ginny follows her father into the world of hunger and poverty in a makeshift camp along nearby railroad tracks, where men with no hope of work struggle to survive with their families. Giving medical aid alongside her father, Virginia begins to learn the true lessons of life. In reaching out to these people Virginia develops a strength of character and compassion that will change the direction of her life.

I have heard of the Great Depression all of my life but never understood the human suffering that it involved in the lives of millions of hard-working people. The story reminds me of what's going on in America today (Nov. 2008) with Savings & Loan failures, the auto industry gasping for breath, and ordinary people in jeopardy of loosing their homes. This book leaves a real impact on your thought process.

Virginia has always lived a comfortable life as the daughter of the town doctor, so the biggest change that the Depression brings is that she has to move out of her room to let her Uncle Jimmy & his wife have it. But she soon learns that others have it a lot worse off, when she accompanies her Pa to "Soo City", a shantytown down by the railroad tracks.