The Daughters of Erietown by Connie Schultz

THE DAUGHTERS OF ERIETOWN is a debut work of historical fiction which I think will appeal greatly to book groups and individual readers, especially women in their sixties. In part, that is because the author, Connie Schultz, fits that demographic and therefore does an excellent job of authentically relating memories and feelings about key 20th century events like the assassination of President Kennedy and the publication of Our Bodies, Ourselves. She weaves in commonplace details, too, like watching I Love Lucy on television: “How could one woman get in so much trouble? Ricky would be furious again. And Lucy would be scared of him, as always. Was there a single wife in America who wasn’t afraid of her husband?”

Schultz sets her novel in fictional Erietown, Ohio between 1947 and 1994 so as to relate the multi-generational story of a working class family and how much women’s lives changed. She explores questions regarding ethnicity and race, physical abuse and marital infidelity, parenting and religious values, class differences, and teen pregnancy. At times, it was difficult to not look at the characters with 21st century eyes; sometimes, I questioned why these daughters, especially Ellie and Rosemary, were not stronger, more sure of themselves and better able to deal with a man like Brick McGinty, former high school basketball star and prejudiced union member whose fear and helplessness kept him from a happier life. It seemed as though the wisdom came mainly from generations on either side: the older aunts/uncles, grandparents and mentors (some were farmers or immigrants and who stepped up to raise their granddaughter or great nephew; one was a coach) and from Ellie's and Rosemary’s children, Sam, Reilly, and Paull, who leveraged opportunities and strove to let go of society’s limitations. In the end, maybe Brick did say it best: “It’s one thing to remember your roots, Sam. Helps us keep our balance. But don’t let your roots become your excuse to be stuck.”    

Formerly with The Cleveland Plain Dealer, Schultz is a Pulitzer Prize winning journalist, married to Senator Sherrod Brown of Ohio. THE DAUGHTERS OF ERIETOWN received a starred review from Kirkus.