How Dear to My Heart

by Emily Kimbrough, Helen E. Hokinson (Illustrator)

Best known for Our Hearts Were Young and Gay, written with Cornelia Otis Skinner, Emily Kimbrough was one of the most popular writers of this century. How Dear to My Heart, first published in 1944, is her tribute to a happy childhood spent in Muncie, Indiana, a humorous glance over her shoulder at the way things used to be.

"This is more than a funny book, a period piece. Dignity and love are never quaint. They were the essence of this civilization. They are the essence of a book which is going to be dear to a lot of hearts besides the author." -- Boston Globe (on the original publication)

"... poignant, evocative, humorous." -- Indiana Magazine of History

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Genres: Memoir, Nonfiction

286 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1944

Reviews

[Bethany · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a dear, humorous book of golden (and not so golden) memories! Emily Kimbrough has captured very well the way she perceived the world as a child with very little commentary from her grown-up self to remark or expound on various happening's greater implications.

Random note: This book has nothing whatsoever to do with Disney's 1948 similarly titled movie So Dear to My Heart. I did wonder when I picked it up; but apparently, that was based off this book.

[Liz · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love these simple and lovely books about childhood and family life in the early 20th century. Emily Kimbrough is the partner-in-crime of Cornelia Otis Skinner – together, they wrote Our Hearts Were Young and Gay, about their voyage to Europe as newly-graduated college girls. In this book, Emily writes about her childhood in Muncie, Indiana, in the very early years of the twentieth century, beginning with her grandfather buying the first car in town, and soon thereafter accidentally driving it through the butcher’s plate-glass window! She captures the thoughts and feelings of herself as a child so perfectly that I think almost anyone would find herself, like me, nodding in recollection of the adult conversations misunderstood and the comfort of a grandparents’ house.

[Bookosaurus (A book a day keeps reality away) · Rating 3 out of 5]

A charming account of the everyday life of a family at the turn of the twentieth century. The narrative unfolds through the eyes of a six (seven?) year old girl and the writing has a nostalgic tinge to it. The author's love for her childhood days clearly shows through. The thing I liked the best is that it's an honest account. The author doesn't view the memories through the lens of adulthood, or try to sanitize them with political correctness to make it palatable for the modern reader.

A quaint, delightful read from the previous century.

[Jackie]

I found this to be a charming biography. The author writes of her memories as they are, not researching to be sure her memories are accurate with facts. She describes moments in her young life of interactions with her family members, friends, school mates, and every day experiences. The book contains what her life was like growing up in a small American town of Muncie, Indiana in the first decade of this century, which is her tribute to a happy childhood.

[Jenny · Rating 3 out of 5]

A sweet story about growing up in Muncie IN at the turn of the century (the last one).

[Karen · Rating 3 out of 5]

It’s always interesting to read a memoir that takes place in an area you’re familiar with. This one had some funny parts, but the narrator really seemed to be quite an annoying child, so it was hard to like her which made it hard to enjoy the story.

[Joey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Delightful! And some of the stories made me laugh out loud.

[Michael Brockley · Rating 1 out of 5]

Americana for nostalgic oligarchs.