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Private Path: The Desk Calendars of Mary Jo Ryan 1937-1943
When Mary Jo Ryan Clark died at age 90, she left behind a library that nobody knew existed. In the back of a desk drawer, and in a sealed carton, her
children found seven desk calendars, chronicling the years1937 to 1943. On
thousands of three by four inch pages, Mary Jo tells the story of her young
adulthood. But it’s also the story of her generation, which has been dubbed
‘ The Greatest Generation.’ Raised in the Great Depression, they came of age
just in time for World War II. It’s a story of faith and family, of hard work and of
a hunger for education and advancement; a story of wartime separations and
tragedy, and a love story too.
Mary Jo and Jack Clark are also the authors of "On the Home Front." Here's what Stud's Terkel said about that book: "Jack Clark's wondrous celebration of his working-class mother and her natural gifts as a storyteller has touched me deeply. Hooray for Mary Jo Ryan Clark and her boy Jack."
"The book itself is a marvel of writerly restraint... Some are private moments--being 4 years old, getting shiny new shoes and remembering looking down at them as she toed circles in the sawdust on a butcher shop floor.
"Other brush against history--news of Pearl Harbor, or the Dorchester, a World War II troop ship sunk off the coast of Greenland. It was famous for the four chaplains who gave up their life vests to other sailors, but Bill, who was dating Mary Jo's younger sister, wasn't one of the lucky survivors...
"The books strength is that it doesn't stoop to Greatest Generation mythologizing. The Clarks are real people, and Mary Jo doesn't try to make them heroes." --Chicago Sun-Times
children found seven desk calendars, chronicling the years1937 to 1943. On
thousands of three by four inch pages, Mary Jo tells the story of her young
adulthood. But it’s also the story of her generation, which has been dubbed
‘ The Greatest Generation.’ Raised in the Great Depression, they came of age
just in time for World War II. It’s a story of faith and family, of hard work and of
a hunger for education and advancement; a story of wartime separations and
tragedy, and a love story too.
Mary Jo and Jack Clark are also the authors of "On the Home Front." Here's what Stud's Terkel said about that book: "Jack Clark's wondrous celebration of his working-class mother and her natural gifts as a storyteller has touched me deeply. Hooray for Mary Jo Ryan Clark and her boy Jack."
"The book itself is a marvel of writerly restraint... Some are private moments--being 4 years old, getting shiny new shoes and remembering looking down at them as she toed circles in the sawdust on a butcher shop floor.
"Other brush against history--news of Pearl Harbor, or the Dorchester, a World War II troop ship sunk off the coast of Greenland. It was famous for the four chaplains who gave up their life vests to other sailors, but Bill, who was dating Mary Jo's younger sister, wasn't one of the lucky survivors...
"The books strength is that it doesn't stoop to Greatest Generation mythologizing. The Clarks are real people, and Mary Jo doesn't try to make them heroes." --Chicago Sun-Times
311 pages, Kindle Edition
First published April 7, 2012
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