Showing results by author "Ruth Smith Meyer" in All Categories

As a child, Benny Ribble bears the brunt of his parents’ anger. Never good enough, he nonetheless tries to please them and hear some words of praise. When he finds himself on the receiving end of a girl’s attention and affection, he thinks he’s finally escaped the abuse he’s suffered his whole life. Sadly, his marriage soon turns into another battlefield. Every time his wife, Alma, bursts his balloon of achievement with her put-downs, he sees himself once again failing to achieve his desire for approval.

Ellie is a strong young woman faced with circumstances that are not her choice. When Ellie's older sister Regina dies at the birth of her third child, her parents request that Ellie break off her engagement to the man she loves and marry their son-in-law, John, so the children will stay in the family.

With vivid memories of her very early life, Ruth Smith Meyer has spent seven decades processing what has made her feel different or unusual. Whether it was being born into a conservative Mennonite family, the differences in her physical composition, or the events of her life, they all contributed to the struggle and growth she experienced as she faced them one by one.