Sidewalk Story

This story is a sad one and unfortunately, one that is all too frequent. A single mother with many children is barely surviving, even though she is trying as hard as she can. However, when the children get sick, she must choose between food and rent. She makes the only sensible choice, but that leads to her eviction. When the movers and Marshalls arrive, the young neighbor Etta is distraught and wants to help her evicted friend Tanya. Using their last dimes, they make phone calls to the police and to the newspaper. The police cannot do anything, and the reporter is skeptical. When Tanya's possessions are on the sidewalk and it begins to rain, Etta gets some blankets and covers them. However, the wind is blowing, so Etta lays down on them to hold them down and falls asleep. The reporter was interested in the case, so he stopped by to look at the situation. When he saw young Etta lying there trying to help, his heart was moved. He called in some favors and made some other calls and managed to get Tanya's mother a job, help with child care, a place to stay and a place for her possessions to be stored. While the story is a sad one, it ends on a happy note. It is a sad and often neglected fact that most people who are evicted are not deadbeats, but are hard working people who struggle to make it even when it is as good as it gets for them. They are only one illness or bad break from catastrophe. This book is an excellent depiction of those circumstances, but it also demonstrates compassion, and how tiny good works by many people can lead to a dramatic improvement in the life of someone who needs a hand to help them rather than to slap them.

The sidewalk story is a great encouraging story. Lilly Etta is a very fighting person. This is a great book. You should read this book.