Depression Books

Born Decemeber 17,1928, Charles Robert Mccoy tells stories of himself and his family as they struggled through the depression and early years of World War Two. An appendix follows the narrative with more recent stories.

"Only Children" is unusual among Alison Lurie's work in that, whereas most of her other novels have a contemporary setting, it is a period piece set in 1935. Like "Real People" it describes a group of people spending a midsummer break in a rural retreat in the north-eastern USA. Anna King, the headmistress of "Eastwind", a progressive school, has invited two couples, the parents of two of her pupils, to spend a long weekend with her at her farmhouse in upstate New York. The two nine-year-old girls, Mary Ann Hubbard and Lolly Zimmern (the future Lorin Jones of "The Truth About...."), are the best of friends. Relations between the adults, however, are more complex.

At the beginning of the novel, Mary Ann's parents Bill and Honey, Lolly's parents Dan and Celia, and Anna do indeed seem friendly. Anna has invited the two families to stay with her in the hope that Bill will agree to serve on Eastwind's board of governors where his financial and administrative expertise will be greatly valued. (He is a senior Government bureaucrat). As the book progresses, however, we learn that Dan Zimmern and Honey Hubbard are conducting an adulterous affair with one another; Celia has her suspicions but Bill seems blithely unaware of his wife's infidelity. We also learn that, some fifteen years earlier, Dan and Anna were lovers and that he still harbours hopes of renewing their relationship.

The title "Only Children" has two meanings. On the one hand, it refers to Mary Ann and Lolly, both of whom are the only children of their parents' marriages, although Lolly has an older half-brother Leonard from her father's first marriage. (Leonard Zimmern- in adult life a prominent literary critic- is a character who appears in a number of Lurie's novels. He appears here as a moody, truculent teenager reluctantly spending a holiday with his father, stepmother and kid sister, but does not play an important part in the story).

On the other hand, the title also refers to the four parents, who are "only children" in the sense that they behave childishly, with frequent petty squabbles breaking out. Each of them is childish in his or her own way. Dan, a successful advertising executive, is a handsome but irresponsible playboy. Honey is a spoilt Southern belle used to getting her own way. They are in many ways similar in character, so their attraction to one another is understandable, especially as neither Celia nor Bill makes a particularly attractive partner. Celia, a weak, insipid woman, is Dan's second wife and, like many second wives, is haunted by the thought that her husband will treat her in the same way as he treated his first. Bill is a dry, dull man and a compulsive workaholic (he spends most of the weekend break poring over work from his office). To make matters worse he is also a fanatical and blinkered Communist, forever regaling Mary Ann with stories of how much better life is in Stalin's Russia than in the USA.(Honey never directly contradicts her husband about politics, but it is clear that she still retains the conservative social attitudes of her privileged Southern background- she insists, for example, on employing a black maid).

Although this is a third-person narrative, much of the story is seen as if through the eyes of the children. Alison Lurie would herself have been nine years old in 1935, so there may be some element of autobiography. Both Mary Ann and Lolly are intelligent but innocent of many of the concerns of adult life, especially sex, and Lurie uses their innocent world-view to comment on the doings of the adult characters. (It is difficult to imagine modern-day nine-year-olds being quite as naïve as those of the thirties). Bill's extremist political opinions, for example, are satirised by being presented to us through the eyes of his half-comprehending daughter. The children's views of the sexual obsessions of their elders and betters may be based on ignorance, but they also mean that it is difficult for the reader to take those obsessions altogether seriously. Sex- and some other things to which grown-ups attach importance- are just adult games, with no more significance than childish ones.

Lolly and Mary Ann are not only intelligent, but also sensitive and imaginative (especially Lolly, as befits a famous artist of the future), and there are many delightful and refreshing views of the world as seen from a child's perspective. Clouds look lie whipped cream, Virginia creepers become old women, the name Mussolini (misheard by Mary Ann as Mousy Leena) leads into an elaborate story about a mouse princess. In their imagination the girls are themselves princesses- a surprisingly reactionary fantasy for the children of self-proclaimed progressive parents. The book reminded me strongly of H E Bates's "The Distant Horns of Summer", another book in which the adult world is seen through the eyes of a sensitive and intelligent child.

"Only Children" displays many of the qualities which have made Alison Lurie one of my favourite authors- a sharp wit, intelligence, a fluent prose style and penetrating observation of human nature. It shows us one of America's finest writers at her best.

I did, however, spot one mistake. In 1935, Strasbourg was not part of Germany, as the author implies. It had been returned to France under the Treaty of Versailles which ended the First World War.

I enjoyed reading this book written in the authors southern Appalachian dialect. Many of the stories and descriptions of the times and materials used for everyday life and survival are entertaining and fun. The book includes "old wives tales", home remedies, and widsom from folks who lived an entirely different way to todays standards. The old "sayin's" section is really funny.

Doris Price Fisher sure can tell a story. I laughed, I cried and I learned a lot. The depression era was a hair before my time so it was interesting to see how simple folks got along. Especially curious to me was how they stored their big quilt racks in small places. I would recommend this book to anyone and am ordering one for a friend right now. I appreciate that she shared her life with us- The good, the bad and the bald faced honesty that gives us permission to own our own history- the good - the bad- well you know...
I wish she would write more stories for us. Charming and passionate as this book reads.

For anyone who has questioned their own beliefs and motives, this book will help you understand yourself and the people around you. Combined with the elegant prose, this book can change your life; you can't go wrong here.

Ms Merchant has recounted a memorable bit of days gone by with real people, her family. This book is a good read and not a long one. I wish it were longer. Do yourself a favor and read it

I must have looked through dozens of books when I was first diagnosed with depression. This one is absolutely the best. Insightful and caring without being swarmy or condescending (why do so many authors treat people with depression like they are children?). You'll see yourself in this book--I know I did.

I've bought this book in a conference in Scotland and found this book very worth, particularly for our clients. This book is aimed to be written for the public with high school education. It really serves as its purpose as it can bring the reader about basic CBT skills in depression in plain, clear and easily understood format.

This book is wonderful and so inspiring. I read this book because my son is suffering from OCD and I needed help in dealing with my son. Anyone suffering from OCD will truly benefit from this book. David White wants to reach and help peopele because he's been in there shoes and found a way out. Please do yourself a favor and read this book, it will be worth your time.

After giving birth to my grandson my daughter changed. My wife and I did not know what to do for her. Out of all the materials on Postpartum Depression we obtained for her, this audio tape set was what she actually used. My wife and I also found the information very useful for ourselves. Dr. Nightingale's section on "What to do for someone with Postpartum Depression," has been invaluable to us. Even with my daughter's poor concentration she has been able to listen to Dr. Nightingale's story over and over when she is feeding the baby. These tapes have brought hope to my daughter and our family. I am very appreciative that they were available through amazon so quickly.The information on avoiding Postpartum Depression in future births has given my daughter hope about the future as well. I would highly recommend them for any family faced with the challenges of Postpartum Depression.