Little Heathens

Hard Times and High Spirits on an Iowa Farm During the Great Depression

By: Mildred Armstrong Kalish

Narrated by: Ruth Ann Phimister

Debut author Mildred Armstrong Kalish, a retired English professor, records her childhood recollections in clear, concise prose. Voted one of the 10 Best Books of 2007 by the New York Times Book Review, Kalish's Little Heathens is a compelling memoir of her hardscrabble life on an Iowa farm during the Great Depression. As foreclosure fragments her family, five-year-old Mildred and her three siblings find refuge with her grandparents - God-fearing farmers, enjoying a modest retirement. When the "little heathens" flush the seniors and their child-rearing skills out of retirement, the grandparents deploy tough but loving bedtime schedules, Bible and prayer routines, and plenty of character-building chores. Having no electricity or indoor plumbing and with little heat or money on the farm, Mildred learns to find joy in the priceless blessings of life.©2007 Mildred Armstrong Kalish (P)2008 Recorded Books,LLC

The simplicity of farm life

I enjoyed the homestead approach to life and how the whole family had responsibilities. The recipes! The personal narrative of a life of communion with nature.

An absolute treasure!

This story, and its superb telling, deserves to be recognized as an American classic. Highly recommend.

Required reading

This should be on the required reading list for teenagers today. Excellent description of an excellent childhood.

Takes me back to my grandparents time

Where does Little Heathens rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

The woman narrating this book takes me back to a time of thriftyness and hard work. I really enjoyed this book and recommended it to my Dad. Also it is full of lots of great recipes if you enjoy cooking with butter, beacon, and heavy cream. Only turn off was her occasional put down of people of the later generation as lazy.

So sweet! Truly enjoyed this book!!

This book was like sitting down with your grandma or great-grandma! I loved listening!! I thought the narrator’s voice was perfectly in keeping with the story and didn’t find it at all grating, as some did. I felt such nostalgia for simple times of self-sufficiency. There ARE written recipes in the story, and I can see where some would enjoy having a hard copy of these, but it’s not a cookbook, and I didn’t feel as if the recipes took away from the story at all. Overall, a sheer delight!!