Susan Cornish

by Rebecca Caudill

Genres: Historical Fiction

Hardcover

First published January 1, 1955

About the author

American's children writer, as well as teacher and editor, known for her Appalachian fiction. Caudill graduated from Wesleyan College and, in 1922, received her master's degree from Vanderbilt University. She taught English in high school and college, and worked briefly as an editor. She moved to Urbana, Illinois, when she married James Ayars in 1931.

Caudill's book, Tree of Freedom, was a Newbery Honor Book in 1950. A Pocketful of Cricket was a Caldecott Honor Book.

The schoolchildren of her adopted state of Illinois vote each year on their favorite book. The winning book is given the Rebecca Caudill Young Reader's Book Award (RCYRBA) named in honor of Caudill and her contributions to Appalachian literature.

Reviews

[A B · Rating 2 out of 5]

I want my hair to look like that of the pretty gal on the cover of this book. That's pretty much what caught my eye, I must confess.

That's also probably the best part about this book. Whilst reading it, I got an eerie feeling that someone (or something) was trying to infiltrate my mind, as if it was some sort of socialist or straight Communist propaganda. What is even creepier is that later on in the story, Communism comes up as a minor spot device. I suppose this book was published during the era of McCarthyism, or shortly after that public hysteria, so perhaps it's understandable - but not the not-so-subtle subliminal messages.

So, Susan Cornish is 18 and decides not to continue with her college studies because she doesn't think she is learning anything. Her parents aren't amused so she quickly gets a job as a teacher in a very rural school. Only problem: she has no idea how to teach. On her first day, she realizes she is in over her head. Rather than teaching, she tries to seek ways for the community to come together and invests her time in her students' personal lives, such as befriending a mean old man so that he'll treat his nephew more kindly and let him attend school, and having government agriculture agents host meetings about improving crops.

That's what really bugged me - the author keeps telling us about how well the students are doing and passing exams to go on to high school, but our dearest darling protagonist is still just having them sing "Old MacDonald". We never learn anything about her teaching skills, even when the community arranges for a scholarship for summer college courses.

She's also a real a-hole. The stove in the school is busted, but she forces students to try to fix it. In frustration, she kicks it and breaks it entirely. So she goes door to door asking people to help clean it and chip in to buy a new one, but never tells them she's the one who broke it.

I can give it 2 stars because I did like the characters of some of the students and parents, plus the minor tidbits from the county extension office about better farming were genuinely interesting.

[Bobbi · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm sure this book is out of print, but in my rural Kentucky library they keep these oldies-but-goodies. I really enjoyed it. You might compare it to Christy by Catherine Marshall. It was about a young naïve girl that goes to teach in a poor Appalachian community. It was a little bit Pollyanna-ish, but the message was good and really very timely with school just starting.

[Joyce · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting story of an ambitious young woman who becomes a teacher at a rural school in farming country in the 1950’s. A bit of politics with issues we still face in modern times. Considered a “Juvenile” book in that time period.

[Julia · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this as a child and with the help of the "What's the Name of That Book?" Goodreads group I was able to locate it to re-read again.

The title character is a young woman who decides to be a teacher because she wants to give children the chance to grow and ask questions in a way that she couldn't. With no teaching experience she is given a position in a small rural school in a dying community, but manages to win the love of the students and the respect of the community.

I had remembered a little bit of the social issues such as children being pulled out of school to help with the crops and the desire for continuing education for children after eighth grade and for adult classes similar to the Folk Schools in Denmark, but I hadn't remembered the class issues or the issues regarding racism and anti-communism which are part of the story. The book is set in the 1950s, before Brown v Board of Education. Schools were segregated by law and someone questioning that could be publically attacked. Many of the families are sharecroppers, subject to the whims of the landowners.

Overall, it held up well, but I felt the end was rushed.

[Michelle Halber]

Read this as a child -- vaguely remember that is ended on a cliffhanger-- which guy did she pick?