The Prize Winner Of Defiance, Ohio: How My Mother Raised 10 Kids On 25 Words Or Less

This next book was one that just goes to show you how a little bit of luck and a modicum of wit can actually feed a whole family of 12. The time was the 1950s/1960s, where men were to be bringing home the money and women were diverse into ordinary housewives. But to some, it was also where "contesting" made it their lives using their under-used wit. For one woman, Evelyn Ryan, she definitely made it hers.

With 10 kids and an alcoholic husband, Kelly, Evelyn used the contesting world to her advantage. It wasn't that she wasn't smarter than than the average contester, she was simply more determined. In the beginning, after Evelyn and Kelly were first married, Kelly had a car accident and a piece of the windshield slit his throat as he was thrown from the car, putting a music career singing tenor to an end and so their lives in Defiance began as he joined the ranks of ordinary men.

As far as contesting, some prizes included an automatic coffeemaker, a home freezer, a radio, 3 pairs or Arthur Murray shoes, even a supermarket shopping spree. Through pre-planning and strategy, Evelyn walked away with exotic foods, expensive meats, caviar, candy and snacks - all totaling $411.44 (equivalent to 3,000 worth today). It was awhile later that while life went normal for Evelyn, pen at hand with contesting, 3 of her children had flown the nest: oldest - Leann went to nursing school and 2 of her sons were signed to play baseball for the Detroit Tigers.  

There were some prizes won over time that bore no use within the Ryan household. When there wasn't a contest to ready for, in spare time, Evelyn sold writing articles and contributed them for $5.00 a piece.

When there weren't BIG prizes coming in, small prizes came in that for the Ryan family were in the nick of time; examples included were toasters, cameras, watches, school supplies, tools, radios and toys. With Christmas around the corner, Evelyn did what she could to supply Christmas for all, leaving her once again destitute. But then one BIG prize came sponsored to fill-in-the-blank tune to describe a sandwich fitting the beat of a song. Using son Bruce's name, she entered the contest and waited, nerves ablaze, to see if there was any result and when it came NOTHING amounted better. Winning a car, to be cashed in; a jukebox and a trip to New York taking Bruce along, since it was his name used.

After the news of "Bruce's" win, Evelyn received a letter from a woman, Doretha Shaeffer, who was with a group called 'The Affadaises', who shall I say, were ALL more than equal experts at contesting and asked her to join - even with the hike to Payne, OH. After joining, they became like soul mates. After seeing Evelyn's success, other Ryans contested their own ways. After some of the older Ryan kids had flown the nest into their own lives, it didn't stop Evelyn from finding the joyous inspiration for the next contest.

One morning things came to crash, Evelyn, reading the morning paper, read they were in debt of property taxes. But as luck would have it, Dr. Pepper was sponsoring  "The Time Of Your Life" contest w/ thousands in cash, a trip to Europe and a new car. Things came worse for the Ryans when they were found to owe the bank $4,000 in a small amount of time. If there was ever a time at a miracle, NOW was the time they REALLY needed it.

As they awaited anxiously for a response back, they were preparing for an ending when they received word from the sponsors of Dr. Pepper for an interview as a finalist. Spending what little cents they had left, they spent on the product for the interview. Nerves ablaze for the week following when the call came that changed them forever: they won the GRAND PRIZE!! 3,440.40 cash, a trip to Switzerland (to be cashed in), Finally a trip to Dallas, TX, to be 'Queen For A Day' and a new car. Initially they were all, excluding the trip to Dallas, cashed in to pay the debt.

The REAL Evelyn Ryan

She never won another major prize after that! Neither did anyone else, contesting and sweepstakes nearly dwindled and disappeared! After seeing their children grow up and leave home, Evelyn had returned to
JC Penney's to work before retiring. Only prior to his death in 1983, Kelly had saved away an amount of money for only Evelyn to live on until her death in 1998.

In 2007, a feature film was made based on this book, promptly titled 'The Prize Winner Of Defiance, Ohio' accounting and telling the trials and successes of Evelyn Ryan and her winnings starring Oscar nominee Julianne Moore as the remarkably brave Evelyn, with real-life help by the Ryan children.


Evelyn Ryan (d. 1998)

Kelly Ryan (d. 1998)

author and daughter Terry "Tuff" Ryan (1946-2007)

The REAL Evelyn and Tuff Ryan

In My Opinion:

This book does show what CAN happen. You know the "Hollywood" saying "If you believe - you achieve, you doubt - you go without". But that's just MY opinion.

The Freedom Writers Diary: How A Teacher and 150 Teens Used Writing to Change Themselves and the World Around Them

This story is one that began shortly after the HISTORIC 1992 LA Riots, where violence and racial tensions reached an all-time high. It was Woodrow Wilson High School where Erin Gruwell decided to take action after taking a job teaching those that were declared "unteachable".


Entries made through these diaries were hard to digest when it hits you that these kids' situations were successful if they just lived through the day alive.


But one day, things took a strange turn, when Erin thought she reached her limit and was about to give up, she found a drawing done by a student and explained, irately, that was how a Holocaust happened/started. Only to a surprise that NONE of these kids knew what the Holocaust was, but they were ALL succumbed to gang violence in some aspect. It was THEN & THERE that Erin changed the core of her curriculum  and teach them all tolerance of one another in/out of the classroom.


It was through books like  'Durango Street'  and stories like 'The Diary Of Anne Frank' that these kids found something they could FINALLY relate to! Reading books like 'The Diary Of Anne Frank'  gave these kids more than stimulation of the mind, it also gave them energetic excitement.When Erin had assigned for them to write a letter to a survivor of this story, Miep Gies, excitement doesn't begin to describe their reaction. Certain ideas flowed through the classroom, but initially having fundraisers and bake sales and what need be - to have the honor of having Miep Gies herself come and speak.


It was Junior Year, 1996, when the class had read the classic novel 'The Color Purple' by Alice Walker and MANY of the female students felt and understood the story of Celie, because many of them suffered abuse or seen it all the same.  While there were some students who didn't have a choice to transfer out of Woodrow, remember there were some MADE THE CHOICE TO STAY!! and seen the difference it made.

Through the Freedom Writers as a group and as individuals, seeing what they've overcome, it was the first with a choice, a choice to graduate. For some it was the first of their families to go to college.


Meanwhile newspaper articles started flowing from the success of the Freedom Writers after Erin had submitted any entry to win 'The Anne Frank Spirit Award' and from there - things exploded!
Amid their surroundings, the work and determination these kids had was indescribable when graduation came.

Erin Gruwell and the REAL Freedom Writers

The End Result:


I LOVED This Book!

The REAL Erin Gruwell

The odds these kids had to face was something insurmountable. What Erin gave these kids was something they could live and pass on! Throughout these stories, it's PROOF that your surroundings DO NOT have to make who you are or become!!


In 2007 a movie was made featuring the many experiences shared through both Erin and the students of Room 203 titled 'Freedom Writers' starring two-time Oscar winner Hilary Swank as the remarkable teacher Erin Gruwell.