Mildred Kalish is a retired professor of English who grew up in
Garrison, Iowa, and taught at several colleges, including the
University of Iowa, Adelphi University, and Suffolk Community
College. She now lives with her husband in northern
California.
1. Little Heathens recounts an adult woman's
memories of a childhood long past. What is the difference between a
child's perspective and an adult's? How did Kalish's understanding
of the world change as she grew older? Are there some ways in which
her approach to life is still the same now as when she was a
child?
2. How did Kalish's memoir enhance your understanding of the
Great Depression? What differences existed between farmers and city
dwellers who lived through it? What legacies of this time period
exist in your family?
3. Which of Kalish's relatives was most memorable to you? Was
there an Aunt Belle in your childhood? Who plays that role for the
next generation?
4. How would you characterize the dynamics within Kalish's large
family? How was peace kept? What accounted for the contrasts
between her relatives who were indulgent and those who were
frugal?
5. What comparisons can you make between men's and women's roles
during this period in American history? What did Kalish's mother
teach her about what a woman could expect of life?
6. Discuss the economic realities that defined this era. What
determined who would manage to get by and who, like the families
she describes, would lose their farms altogether? What attitudes
toward money was Kalish taught to develop?
7. Kalish describes the longevity of many of her ancestors, who
relied on home remedies rather than emergency rooms for treatment.
She also describes the presence of cream in most of her family's
meals, and the availability of glorious fresh-baked desserts that
would be strictly forbidden on a contemporary weight-loss plan.
What keys to health and wellness does her memoir provide?
8. What did it take to fit in within this Iowa community? Which
children and adults were accepted, and which ones might be subject
to pranks or gossip? How did Kalish's experience at school compare
to that of a student at one of the large public schools that now
replace her classroom?
9. How did you react to the discussions of food preparation
featured in the book-from regulating the stove temperature to
slaughtering-and cleaning-the main course? What were the benefits
and shortcomings of such a labor-intensive use of fresh
ingredients, and of life without supermarkets? Did any aspects of
Kalish's Depression-era cuisine surprise you?
10. In the end, Kalish tells us how she was able to journey far
from the farm and build a life in urban areas. What distinguishes
those who remained on the farm from those who left it?
11. Had you realized that the rural electrification bill was not
passed until Roosevelt's presidency? How did it shape a community
to live at the mercy of the seasons, without electricity or indoor
plumbing? What was Kalish's relationship with the natural world
like?
12. Discuss the role of religion in this community. What did the
hierarchy of religions described by Kalish indicate about the
populations who lived in her area? What were the foundations of
faith within her family?
13. Early on, Kalish tells us that her mother was a single
parent, and that the story of her absent father was rarely
mentioned. How did her family compensate for her absent parent? How
did her mother's experience of single motherhood compare to that of
parents in similar situations today?
14. Could your family endure the way of life described in the
book?
15. What is gained and lost in a world that favors technology
over manual labor?
16. Discuss the title of Kalish's memoir. Which of her extended
family's antics made you laugh the most? How have the standards for
naughty "little heathens" changed since she was a child?
17. What stories would you include in your memoir? What aspects
of history does your life capture?