"""What else would you wish for?" Daddy says. "If you could have anything in the world, what would you wish for?" "Maybe what?"
"For us to live better than we do."
He does not say anything.
""
""
In 1948, award-winning author Ruth White lived in Jewell Valley, a coal camp nestled between the hills of southwestern Virginia, with her mother, still mourning for a baby who died four years earlier; her father, who spent the weekends and most of his pay out drinking; and her three older sisters, Audrey, Yvonne, and Eleanor. Told in Audrey's voice, this is how the author imagines Audrey's experiences during a time of great trauma for the White family - and what happened before they were able to live a better life.
This snapshot of life in a coal camp, complete with everyday heartaches and joys - as well as stories, songs, and jokes - is Ruth White's most personal work to date.
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