A butcher knife whistled and crackled through gristle and bone as grandma cut through rabbits and squirrels. Browned, crisped, and mixed with a gravy made from milk, flour, and meat drippings, this was served as the daily feast. That was 1939 in Depression-era Alton, Illinois, when Ernest R. House was born. So begins "Cherry Street Alley," his memoir of a childhood filled with adventures, mishaps, and family sagas. House endures poverty and a rotating...