MacDonald, Betty

Average customer rating:

We love Mrs. Piggle Wiggle!
Common Sense and Cures
Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle, Mrs. Grassfeather, Mrs. Ragbag...Where does it end?
Mrs. Piggle Wiggle
Family Favorite

Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle
Betty MacDonald
Manufacturer: HarperTrophy
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0064401480

Amazon.com

Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle has been wildly popular with children and adults for over 50 years. Children adore her because she understands them--and because her upside-down house is always filled with the smell of freshly baked cookies, and her backyard with buried treasure. Grownups love her because her magical common sense solutions to children's problems succeed when their own cajoling and yelling don't. For the child who refuses to bathe, Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle recommends letting her be. Wait until the dirt on her body has accumulated to half an inch, then scatter radish seeds on her arms and head. When the plants start sprouting, the nonbather is guaranteed to change her mind about that bath.

Hilary Knight's (Eloise, Sunday Morning) delightful pictures provide lively, droll accompaniment to Betty MacDonald's refreshing stories. Whether Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle is curing Answer-Backers or Slow-Eater-Tiny-Bite-Takers, her remedies always work like a charm. More than one parent over the years has surreptitiously turned to Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle when Dr. Spock failed to come through. (Ages 8 to 12) --Emilie Coulter

Book Description

<CENTER>Everyone loves Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle</CENTER>

Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle lives in an upside-down house ans smells like cookies. She was even married to a pirate once. Most of all, she knows everything about children. She can cure them of any ailment. Patsy hates baths. Hubert never puts anything away. Allen eats v-e-r-y slowly. Mrs Piggle-Wiggle has a treatment for all of them.

The incomparable Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle loves children good or bad and never scolds but has positive cures for Answer-Backers, Never-Want-to-Go-to-Bedders, and other boys and girls with strange habits. '[Now] in paperback . . . for a new generation of children to enjoy.' -- San Francisco Examiner Chronicle.

Customer Reviews:

We love Mrs. Piggle Wiggle!.......2007-04-16

My 7 year old daughter fell in love with Mrs. Piggle Wiggle! She finished all 4 of her books, and is so disappointed there aren't more. She would stay up late reading so she could quickly finish the books. You've got to love that!

Common Sense and Cures.......2007-01-21

Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle, a lovable grandmotherly type, visits homes and "cures" kids of bad habits, such as talking back and refusing to go to bed. These cures come from a magical pirate chest that belonged to her late husband. Think Mary Poppins with reverse psychology if you must, but I'll take Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle any day.

The Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle stories are hilarious and simply great to read aloud. I recommend them to parents all of the time, as they help readers address their own bad habits and encourage families to work together to be more respectful, responsible, organized, and helpful.

Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle, Mrs. Grassfeather, Mrs. Ragbag...Where does it end?.......2006-10-14

This book is great. If you ever have a problem with your child's behavior, Mrs. Piggle Wiggle is the one to call. Her outrageous solutions to common child behavior ailments seem to work well. In most cases she recommends letting the child wallow in his or her own awful behavior until rock bottom is reached. Only then is the child aware of the real-life consequences for bad behavior.

A perfect book for teaching personal responsibility. Not to mention it's filled with fun names like Mrs. Moohead, Mrs. Broomrack, and Mrs. Crankminor. My only complaint is Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle herself is present for only a very small percentage of the book, and the book ends without even going back to her. I was thinking (and hoping) she'd be on every page.

This goes to show you, Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle, who loves kids more than anybody, still lets them bring on their own suffering when it comes to correcting a major attitude problem. If a kid doesn't want to eat...shoot, let the kid starve. If the kid doesn't want to pick up toys, then let the kid get trapped in clutter. Show kids what it's like to have to clean up their own mess instead of cleaning up their mess for them all the time. (This doesn't apply to diaper changes of course.)

In addition to the elaborate Piggle-Wiggle cures, the kids in the book get a spanking from their parents every now and then, especially after playing around with the laundry chute. Sorry kids, can't do that.

Mrs. Piggle Wiggle.......2006-06-30

I really liked Mrs. Piggle Wiggle because there were different stories about her curing people. I have read the stories about her but think this one was the best. You may think that they take place in different places, but all the children in the stories know each other and the all live in the same town.

Family Favorite.......2006-03-14

Mrs. Piggle Wiggle was 'The Nanny'/'Dr.Phil' of her time. These stories offer parents and children interesting ways to deal with daily chores and struggles that can sometimes seem overwhelming. I enjoyed reading this book as a child and couldn't resist purchasing it for my girls 4 and 2 to enjoy. We have been working our way through various childrens' novels as part of our bedtime ritual. Books like this are good for holding the attention of children at various levels of reading and reading comprehension. These stories have also served as a springboard for discussion in our family about finding creative new ways to accomplish the many tasks that need to be done to keep the household running. Some of the material may seem dated, but it's definetely a classic.

Average customer rating:

Fairly Good, But With A Caveat
Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle's Magic
"It Rocks"
Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle's Magic
Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle's Magic

Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle's Magic
Betty MacDonald
Manufacturer: HarperTrophy
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0064401510

Book Description

<hr4><center> Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle has a trick up her sleeve<center></hr4>Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle loves everyone, and everyone loves her right back. The children love her because she is lots of fun. Their parents love her because she can cure children of absolutely any bad habit. The treatment are unusual, but they work! Who better than a pig, for instance, to teach a piggy little boy table manners? And what better way to cure the rainy-day "waddle-I-do's" than hunt for a pirate treasure in Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle's upside-down house?

Customer Reviews:

Fairly Good, But With A Caveat.......2007-06-20

I picked up this book because I believed it would be another superb memoir by Betty MacDonald ("The Egg and I," and "Onions in the Stew") -- but it's not. I realized about a third of the way into the book that it's a fictional tale (I really was puzzled why Betty never mentioned herself, or Ma and Pa Kettle). The writing is good and the plot entertaining -- but this is NOT non-fiction.

Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle's Magic.......2006-03-11

I ordered this book for my two nephews, ages 5 and 7, because I had such wonderful, vivid memories of the Mrs. Piggle Wiggle series as a child(I am now 45!); I wanted them to experience it as well. I was an avid reader as a child(I still am)and was exposed to hundreds of titles and have many favorites that I read to my children and Mrs. Piggle Wiggle still stands out in the top 10 and I still get a smile on my face when I remember reading about the little girl that had radishes growing out of the caked on dirt on her arm because she refused to take a bath!

"It Rocks".......2005-12-21

Mrs. piggle- wiggle is a really good book. It is amazing how she always has a cure for the parent's problem. I liked it when they was supposed to go for a hike and a picnic but it was raining. So they went to her house then she got them to search for treasure. This book is a really good book.

Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle's Magic.......2004-03-11

Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle's Magic

Book Description

Ms. Piggle-Wiggle's left her upside-down town house and has moved to a farm in the country. With the help of her cows and pigs and horses, she's still curing girls and boys of their bad habits. So whatever the problem-from pet forgetter-itis to fraidycat-ness-the parents all exclaim, "Better call Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle!"

Customer Reviews:

Read this!.......2004-03-19

This is the last of the four Mrs Piggle-Wiggle books, but it was probably my favourite when I was little - I loved horses as a little girl, and these stories include a pony. My parents read the Mrs Piggle-Wiggle books when they were kids, and these books have been a family tradition.

The stories aren't coy about the fact that they set out to show how kids ought to behave, but they're so much fun that I don't think anyone minds that they teach a lesson. After all, who minds when Mrs. Piggle Wiggle is the teacher? These stories, unlike those in the other 3 books, are set on a farm, and teach kids about responsibilty, self-reliance, and trust. Read them if you have kids, read them if you don't have kids. Just read them!

A children's classic.......2002-11-07

I grew up reading the Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle series. I loved every single story and I still remember them vividly. They may be a little dated but the lessons are still current and they are still very amusing.

Excellent book. I'm ordering them for my daughter!.......1999-07-08

I remember sitting in the library when I was little reading Mrs. Piggle Wiggle books over and over again. I loved everyone one of her "cures" and now that I have a daughter of my own I want her to have her own copies of these classics from my childhood.

Average customer rating:

Well hatched plot
So much for the romance of the pre-electric life
Depressing
A Movie Was Made and so was a Millionaire
A must read for all generations!

The Egg and I
Betty MacDonald
Manufacturer: Harper Paperbacks
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0060914289

Book Description

Reissue of this immortal, hilarious, and heartwarming classic about working a chicken farm in the Northwest.

Customer Reviews:

Well hatched plot.......2007-05-06

" The Egg And I " has stood the test of time as a book about the most basic lifestyle, farming. The trials and tribulations that any farmer and his wife will have to go through remain unchanged through the decades. "The Egg And I " can be read in any century and the movie of the same name with Fred MacMurray and Claudette Colbert is eminently watchable decades after it was made. Every actor in that movie has long died but the life in the film , and the book, will reamin forever. The gentle writing style with strong believable characters makes this book a worthy template for any writer to aspire to.

So much for the romance of the pre-electric life.......2007-03-31

If you are thinking of living off the grid and going back to nature, this book is for you. Chicken farming for sure isn't like this any more, except for maybe those "uncaged hens" eggs you can buy at Whole Foods. Still a life without electricity or indoor plumbing in the dripping Northwest is not what I dream about at nights. On the other hand the woman stuck it out and with good humor none the less even having been branded a "reader" by the neighbors when they all did "tatting" or "needlepoint". All those doilies you see in a farm house? That's a farmer's wife going slowly nuts.

Anyway the descriptions of the Kettles is wonderful.

Depressing.......2007-02-16

What a hard life the author had when she was first married. Although she makes light of her dificulties by joking, I can see that it was terrible and I found the book most depressing.
It must also have been dificult to live in those years when everyone was so racist and unaccepting of different sorts of people. I'm surprised that she was comfortable being with the Kettles and uncomfortable with the Hicks. Based on her feelings of the native population I would think it was the other way around!
I recommend reading this book for the picture it gives of the era that it covers.

A Movie Was Made and so was a Millionaire.......2007-02-01

I read this book about ten years ago, after having read the Mrs. Piggle Wiggle books to my children, and learning that the author was the same who had written "The Egg and I." As a child I watched the movie a couple of times and really enjoyed it.

Little did I realize what a horrible creature I was patronizing. Another reviewer describes McDonald as she portrays herself in this book as "snobby, racist (the nasty comments against Native Americans will make you cringe), and whiny."

To say the least.

It sickens me that Hollywood picked this book up and made a wealthy woman out of Betty McDonald. One would hope that as she matured she became wiser; I have no idea. To me she will always be the woman who complained bitterly of dirty smelly Indians coming into her home and defiling it.

It sickens me that, at one time in our society, it was possible for someone to be rewarded in any way for writing in such a disgusting manner.

All said and done, Betty McDonald as a young woman was just plain self-centered and mean.

After reading this book, I never picked up a Mrs. Piggle Wiggle again.

A must read for all generations!.......2007-01-23

It is hard to image anyone NOT liking this book! Even if you don't know a thing about raising chickens or even if you do (I have given this book to two chicken-raising relatives!), this book is hilarious. I mean, I laughed out loud! Quite frankly, it is the best of her books for adults. Maybe that's because I could imagine life for a young, unsuspecting city girl in the untamed Northwest, trying to make a go of a life and a marriage she was clearly unsuited for. Sounds rough, huh? But Betty makes it fun, crazy and adventurous! Yes, it is true the language and depiction of the surrounding Native Americans can be rather off color. In fact her daughters mention this in the introduction of later printed versions of this book. Please try to take it with a grain of salt, for the times were different back then (the story takes place far before it was actually written) and I am sure if Betty were alive today her tone would be much more politically correct and sensitive. For this is not a story of a spoiled, racist girl in the wilderness, but rather the memoirs of a very funny and gifted young woman just trying to follow her mother's advice for a happy marriage by supporting her husband's career choice. I think this book is timeless and a must read no matter what generation you are from.

Average customer rating:

Love it!
Wonderful, almost complete collection
Roma Parekh

Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle Treasury
Betty MacDonald
Manufacturer: HarperCollins
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0060248122

Customer Reviews:

Love it!.......2006-12-18

My children love hearing these stories. I read them to my daughter and now my husband pulled it back out to read to my son. Lots of fun!!

Wonderful, almost complete collection.......2003-06-01

I loved reading the Mrs. Piggle Wiggle books as a child, and I loved reading "Mrs. Piggle Wiggle", "Mrs. Piggle Wiggle's Magic", and "Hello, Mrs. Piggle Wiggle" again in this wonderful collection. The only problem is that "Mrs. Piggle Wiggle's Farm" is not included.

Roma Parekh.......2003-02-05

This is a great collection of all the Mrs. Piggle - Wiggle books. This is such a cute book. I remember reading these books when I was little and am very happy to be reading the treasury

Average customer rating:

Maggie's meaningful review
memories of my childhood
Mrs. Piggle Wiggle Magic
Very Funny
Delightful And Funny

Hello, Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle
Betty MacDonald
Manufacturer: HarperTrophy
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Book Description

The incomparable Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle loves children good or bad and never scolds but has positive cures for Answer-Backers, Never-Want-to-Go-to-Bedders, and other boys and girls with strange habits. `[Now] in paperback . . . for a new generation of children to enjoy.' —San Francisco Examiner Chronicle.

Customer Reviews:

Maggie's meaningful review.......2005-12-14

Hello, Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle is a humorous book! Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle's husband died and left her a trunk of magic cures for children's horrible habits. Parents in town often phone her about their children's bad habits. A few examples of terrible habits are slow poke, whisperer, and bully. For the bully, there are leadership pills, and for the whisperer, there are whisper sticks. They taste like candy, but you can only whisper after you eat one. For the slow poke you spray on their clothing. Will the cures work? " I recommend this book for young girls, because I think it's best suited for their maturity," I said.

memories of my childhood.......2004-05-05

I love the Piggle-Wiggle books! I was first introduced to the seres when my third grade teacher read them to the class. I have enjoyed reading them to my own students since then...Children love hearing about the different tales and adventures of the children who are friends of Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle! The stories come alive for all people who hear these stories because it's so easy to relate to. I think we all can remember a time when we had trouble interrupting or not cleaning up after ourselves!!!! These stories are a true treasure!!

Mrs. Piggle Wiggle Magic.......2003-09-27

I am 35 years old and can still remember my mother reading us these story every night. No matter how many times we heard them over and over it was the best time we spent together. I now have a daugter of my own and can't wait to read the same storys to her. I loved all the funny things she would do the kids to get them to listen to their parents.

Very Funny.......2000-07-17

I have read this tory to students in my class ranging from kindergartners to third graders. All of my students have enjoyed the story and went on to read the other titles as well. The humor used in the book is very good. Children can relate to some of the problems Miss Piggly Wiggly cures. We even used her humor in class as we decided how some of our personalities fit with the children's in the story. I would highly recommend this story as a read aloud for younger children or independent reading for third grade and higher.

Delightful And Funny.......2000-06-17

This is a delightful and funny book for children. I read it a few years ago and thought to myself, this is a funny book, but adults shouldn't really read it because they might not like it like me. It's childish humor about an old lady who likes children. Buy this for your children.

Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle Boxed Set: Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle, Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle's Magic, Hello, Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle, and Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle's Farm

Average customer rating:

The stories never get old!
Gentle Wisdom!

Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle Boxed Set: Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle, Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle's Magic, Hello, Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle, and Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle's Farm
Betty MacDonald
Manufacturer: Scholastic Inc.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Customer Reviews:

The stories never get old!.......2007-03-26

I still remember my 3rd grade teacher reading us Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle. I bought the books and read to my 3 children and now they are requesting them for *their* children (my grandchildren). Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle is a timeless classic that teaches virture and maturity with humor and great cheer!

Gentle Wisdom!.......2007-02-12

Mrs.Piggle-Wiggle is a gentle grandmotherly soul who always seems to know exactly what is needed to correct any problem.
Her fame is spread by word of mouth as parents she has helped tell other parents wanting to correct a child's annoying behavior about her.
One by one they all echo the same helpful advice, "You had better call Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle!"

One child eats too s l o w l y, another doesn't want to take baths, one boy won't put anything away, another is a show-off.
Then there's the boy with bad table manners, a child who is a fraidy-cat and another who doesn't want to go to bed!
One by one they are cured by her gentle wisdom. The treatments are unusual but, oh my, how they work!

Parents love her because she knows exactly what to do to cure bad habits.
Children love her because she's fun!

Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle has all the answers, lives in an upside down house and smells like cookies.
Don't you love her already? The Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle books are a treasure! Great reading for young and old alike!

Onions In The Stew (Common Reader Editions)

Average customer rating:

Who Couldn't LOVE Betty MacDonald!
Her Memoirs
Much better than. . .
What a pleasant surprise!
Hilarious

Onions In The Stew (Common Reader Editions)
MacDonald Betty , and Betty Macdonald
Manufacturer: Joiner/Oriel Inc
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 1888173300

Book Description

You know how sometimes friendship blossoms in the Þrst few moments of meeting? “Something clicked,” we say. Well, that's what discovering Betty MacDonald was like for me: I happened to read a couple of pages of one of her books and — click — knew right away that here was a vivacious writer whose friendly, funny, and Þery company I was really going to enjoy. Although MacDonald's Þrst and most popular book, The Egg and I, has remained in print since its original publication, her three other volumes have been unavailable for decades. The Plague and I recounts MacDonald's experiences in a Seattle sanitarium, where the author spent almost a year (1938-39) battling tuberculosis. The White Plague was no laughing matter, but MacDonald nonetheless makes a sprightly tale of her brush with something deadly. Anybody Can Do Anything is a high-spirited, hilarious celebration of how “the warmth and loyalty and laughter of a big family” brightened their weathering of The Great Depression. In Onions in the Stew, MacDonald is in unbuttonedly frolicsome form as she describes how, with husband and daughters, she set to work making a life on a rough-and-tumble island in Puget Sound, a ferry-ride from Seattle.

Customer Reviews:

Who Couldn't LOVE Betty MacDonald!.......2007-01-06

I first read Onions in the Stew almost thirty years ago, in a Reader's Digest Condensed Books version, and I never forgot it. What a JOY to receive the complete version as a gift years later, along with The Plague and I, and Anybody Can Do Anything, when they were reissued by The Common Reader. I absolutely devoured them, passed them around among my friends & loved ones (keeping track of who had them, very uncharacteristic but they're the kind of books you never want to lose!!!!) and agree with every five-star reviewer here, especially "pony-express," that Betty is the best friend you never met. Also enjoyed the comment about how much fun heaven will be, to drink strong coffee & yak with Betty MacDonald. She is still as witty today as when she wrote her books, utterly classic and fresh, laugh-out-loud and tremendously endearing without EVER being cloying. Such a cut above. Her other books are equally wonderful, and I just wish more people were exposed to her; she's a tonic for stress, an antidote to depression. So glad there are others out there who love her as I do!

Her Memoirs.......2005-12-02

I've just finished the fourth Betty MacDonald memoir. Thank you Amazon for the access to all these out of print books!
I now know what's going to be fun in Heaven - chatting with Betty over strong cups of coffee.
These books were like discovering a new best friend. I've never been so entertained by reading. What a gal!

Much better than. . . .......2005-06-29

"The Egg and I." As I said in my review of the earlier book, although I found parts of "Egg" charming, the chapter on Indians made my part-Cherokee blood boil, and that other parts seemed rather mean-spirited as well.

There is none of the mean-spiritedness in "Onions", probably because, in spite of the various toils and tribulations of life on the island, Betty was basically happy there, as opposed to "Egg" where she was mostly miserable.

I loved the part about the small woman who loved to curl up on soft, comfy places like sofas, armchairs, and other women's husbands' laps. I wondered, though, why Betty didn't just ask her to step out into the garden and then drop-kick her across the straight to Seattle? I'm sure she could have gotten some of the other women in their circle of friends to help.

Many of the events she tells of show us that teenage girls have always been a handful, whatever they say. However, in spite of all the complaining and whining, the girls were willing to pich in; how many girls their age nowadays would have something like stuffed pork chops waiting when their parents came home from work?

While "Egg" left me wondering why anyone in their right mind would want to run a chicken farm in the middle of a howling wilderness, "Onions" made me wonder if living on an island might not be fun.

What a pleasant surprise!.......2002-08-29

Having finished my previous book and waiting for Amazon's free shipping promo to buy more, I picked up this book collecting dust in my book closet. I was pleasantly surprised.

It is smart and funny and so down-to-earth that you have to instantly like Betty as your best friend. Althouhg I am not a big fan of women titles (those seems to dominate the New York Times bestsellers list these days), I laughed out loud on a plane from Washington DC to Houston on a business trip. Who knew that everyday domestic issues can be so light and funny?

Anyway, just try it. You will find it more enjoyable than you want to admit.

Hilarious.......2001-12-19

Betty's greatest talent was for describing situations that are quite banal, even rather troublesome, in a totally hilarious fashion. The situations are all the funnier for the reader's realisation that, in other hands, they could have been described as a tale of woe - where, in Betty's hands, they are delightful.

Financial crunches, months of futile searching for a residence, the adjustment of Betty and her children to a life with a new husband and stepfather (whose attitudes are quite different from those of a carefree Bard), living on an island where there are too many visitors and far too little accessibility for daily work and school, a beautiful neighbour's having her eyes on one's husband - these could have been the stuff of whining or dreary "self-help" attitudes. Betty is far from sentimental, totally honest, yet approaches all from a highly positive attitude that nearly makes one envious. This book is also a fine reminder to today's concerned parents that having adolescent children was no joy ride, even 60 years ago.

My only criticism of Betty's writing is that, in her descriptions, she did not know when to stop. For example, her description of Vashon Island is engaging for the first two paragraphs, but rather excessive when it runs to several pages.

Customer Reviews:

If you only have one MacDonald..........2002-10-31

If "Anybody Can Do Anything," then everyone should have some Betty MacDonald books on the shelf. My super-modern grandson,m in second grade at the time, got a great kick out of the "Mrs. Piggle Wiggle" book I got him for Christmas.
The adult books are gems of humorous American writing. Every word should be savored. "Who Me?" was pulled together from Betty's four adult books. All the writing was hers, however. It was recommended to librarians at the time (around 1959 or 1960) that if they had the complete books, this abridgement wasn't necessary for the collection.
I would agree. ...Most of Betty's other stuff is available, however, which should be good news for fans new and old.

Average customer rating:

I don't know how someone who could write as racist a book
Funny, poignant and observant
Christmas celebrations in the San
A funny look at a serious situation.
A Personal Reflection

The Plague and I
Betty MacDonald
Manufacturer: George Mann Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0704102544

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Customer Reviews:

I don't know how someone who could write as racist a book.......2006-04-01

as "The Egg and I"--her statement in that book that "I do not like Indians and I think we did a good thing in coming over and taking this beautiful country away from them." made my part-Cherokee blood boil--could write another that was so UNracist. While the author does use terms like 'colored' and 'Negro', those were (one can understand) the accepted terms in the 1930s, and while she records the racist attudes of some of the patients and staff, she apparently does not agree with them. She formed a close attachment with a Japanese patient--whom she later urges to go to college--and when an African-American (to use the accepted term of today) patient tells her that she doesn't mind being in isolation because the white patients don't want her as a roommate anyway, she thinks this absurd.

It is difficult for us today to understand how very scary TB was back then. While TB is not unknown today, if caught early it is easily treated with appropriate medications; not so, then. The only treatment was a rest-cure with pallitive measures; many people recovered, but many did not. There were some surgical treatments (collapsed lung), but they were painful and not terribly effective. It was known to be contageous, although not nearly as contageous as many people thought it was. The nearest modern equivalent might be HIV/AIDS, except that the latter is always fatal.

As other authors have mentioned, one hardly thinks that such a story would be funny, but BMacD is able to find humor in any situation. I've read all four of her books for adults and enjoyed them very much--even 'Egg'. That she was able to be discharged from the sanitarium after only about a year shows that laughter is, indeed, the best medicine.

Funny, poignant and observant.......2006-01-17

If there's anything good about a disiplinarian TB institution in the 30s (not 40s), it's the opportunity to meet so many different kinds of people. Macdonald is an observer and nailer of people's quirks on a level with Dickens (both of them, Charles and Monica). I love this book. There's one thing I would like explained, though. American readers talk as if Macdonald's "racism" was an understood and obvious thing. I see no racism in this book. OK, she calls somebody "coloured" and another girl "black". She also mentions that her roommate is Japanese and her workmate an Eskimo. Is she racist for not using today's PC terminology? She praises the institution for accepting everybody and mixing them together. She quotes some racist comments from other patients, but doesn't say she condones them, in fact "Betty" in the book answers back and disagrees. Please, please, somebody tell me why it is currently PC to say Macdonald is racist?

Christmas celebrations in the San.......2003-12-14

I read this book long ago, have forgotten a lot of it, but just about every December I find myself singing "Deck the Halls in Old Crepe Paper, fa la la" etc. Used to confuse my kids no end. For those who haven't read it yet, look for the scenes of holiday celebrations in the old TB sanitaruims-- sad & funny.

A funny look at a serious situation........2001-10-27

This book is filled with an off beat sence of humor. It isn't the slap you in the face kind of humor but rather the kind of humor that hits you later. For example, I found myself smilingat something I read earlier in the day while cooking dinner. At the end of this book you feel like you know each of the people personally. I wanted a follow up to find out what happened to each person. It's that good.

Basically this book is about Betty MacDonalds stay in a sanitorium while she had TB. She can take such a serious topic that could be pretty morose and turn it into something interesting and funny.

A Personal Reflection.......2001-10-20

Betty McDonald was my husbands's aunt - her sister DeDe mentioned in this book was my beloved mother-in-law. Although I never knew Betty, I had the priviledge of knowing my mother-in-law for 20 some years. The entire Bard family was a strong group with character like none other. My children had the priviledge of growing up listening to so many other "Bard Family stories" told by DeDe, their grandmother. It's too bad we don't have that grit, humor and determination that Betty and the rest of her family had. Those characteristics would help so many of us get through the tough times we face today. She was a great author and a classy lady. So glad these books have come back into print.

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