Defiantly Optimistic

Terry Ryan has entertainingly chronicled her mother's trials and triumphs in The Prize Winner of Defiance, Ohio: How My Mother Raised 10 Kids on 25 Words or Less. Struggling to support her growing family in the 40s and 50s with a husband who spends much of his salary on alcohol, Evelyn manages to make magic with her jingles and poems and wins contests by the dozens. She earns toasters and trips, shopping sprees and cars...just when her family needs them most.
The biography was made into a delightful movie starring Julianne Moore and Woody Harrelson by DreamWorks in 2006. It closely follows the book's narrative and spirit (and shows the ten grown children as they are today).