Customer Reviews

Dry Divide

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

When Ralph Moody, 20 years old, is put off the train at McCook, Nebraska, on July 4, 1919, he has exactly one dime to his name. He's using half of it for two doughnuts and a glass of water when a man comes into the cafe looking for wheat-harvest hands, at $5 a day for drivers, $7 for pitchers, and as high as $8-$9 for stackers. Ralph has never stacked wheat, but he's pitched plenty of hay, so he bluffs his way into the stacking job. He soon learns that he and the rest of his employer's new crew--a stranded medicine-show "doctor," a dried-up little old man, two great hulking Swedish blacksmith brothers, two Denver U. college boys, a Mexican teenager and a chunky little Irishman--have signed up with the boss from hell. Myron Hudson is a hard-driving, hard-swearing man who's rough with his stock and rougher with his wife and five small children; only his young sister-in-law Judy seems willing to stand up to him. He has such a terrible reputation in his own neighborhood that he has to cross the state line to hunt hired hands. After years of successive crop failures as a tenant farmer he has finally moved about as high up on the dry divide as he can get and still be on the planet, and he's mortgaged to his neck. Ralph resolves to help Mrs. Hudson and her children and makes a plan to do it, but after only one full day on the job Hudson is killed by one of his own horses. Now Ralph no longer has to sneak around behind his back to put his plan in motion, and he steps in and takes hold like a born CEO. Working out a deal with the banker who holds Hudson's paper, he not only contrives to bring in all of Hudson's wheat, but sets up a regular business hauling that of other farmers to the elevator, a task requiring split-second scheduling and perfect teamwork. The respect he shows his fellow team-members makes them his loyal followers, and three months later he owns eight teams of horses, the rigs to go with them, and over $1300 in profits stashed in the bank, and has his eye on some cattle-land to set himself up in ranching.

Perhaps only in the early 20th century could a scheme like Ralph's work out so well, but without his own native gifts, the skills of his team, and the vision of a shrewd (if not always completely trustworthy) small-town banker even he couldn't bring it to fruition. Here we see how the lessons he learned from his parents, his grandfather, and his past employers stand him in good stead. This is the conclusion toward which he has been moving ever since his family first settled in Colorado a dozen years before, and in true American-dream style he has made it from hardscrabble farm boy to about-to-be landowner before he's even old enough to vote. An inspiring American story.

This is one of my favorite books in Ralph Moody's sieres. All the sturggles of life are here. A great book for all ages. And best of all it is True! Ralph Moody's books should be read. A book you don't want to end.

After having read all the books leading up to this one I can only say that Ralph Moody's parents had reason to be proud of their son. What an illustration of how faithful and honest parenting will build the character of a man.

A great story written in a way that can be easily envisioned and understood. A story about SONSHIP, a young man who has one dime in his pocket, but who sees opportunities in problems. As the story reveals he is a problem solver, he sees the benefit of failure, and sees the possibilities. He also honors his fellow man and he is his brother's keeper; he is a lifegiver. This is an amazing young man in a world full of problems, and he could easily have succombed, but he chooses to be a builder instead. He looks for a better way to do a job, he wants to know how things got to be the way there are, and he understands social responsibility and extending honor. Most people avoid problems, see only the cost of failure, run from pain, care for themselves, want to be liked now, expect more from others than themselves, and seek comfort. This young man is an example of grown-up maturity that I hold up for myself as a measuring rod. I loved this story, and plan to purchase other books by this author. Wow!

My husband, grandson, and I have thoroughly enjoyed listening to the Little Britches series and this book was no exception. I personally think every child in school should be required to read this series in hopes they would have a better understanding of how hard work pays off and what hardships our ancestors had to go through just to be able to feed their families. Too many children today graduate from high school thinking they should be able to have and live the same life style as their parents who have worked hard to get where they are and to have what they do. I thoroughly recommend this series for parents and children alike and even better it is wonderful to listen to it together with your children on a long road trip.

I first read Mr. Moody's books as a child and then re-read them as an adult. They had lost none of their attraction. He is like the person we all know that can tell a story that captivates and entertains.... This review extends to all of Mr. Moody's autobiographical books; they all fit together in a series.

I LOVE the Little Britches series. My husband had never heard them, so I am reading them out loud when we travel in the car. I have loved hearing them for the 3rd time, and my husband has thoroughly enjoyed them for the first time.

This continues the thread of Little Britches - a good read for children and adults alike. A reminder of times past.