Mockingbird (44 page)

Living in a town like Monroeville was not a pleasure for me. My relatives and friends from there have always been special, but I couldn't wait to get away. No library, no recreation, no entertainment at all except the local movie and church activities. Believe me, it was a very sterile place to grow up. My friends whose family could afford to take them on trips or to the cities for shows, entertainment, etc., probably have different memories. A number of my classmates were sent to private schools in Atlanta, Birmingham or Mobile. Those of us whose parents struggled to survive, working six days a week, more than eight hours a day, have different memories.

Freda Noble, e-mail to author, 29 April 2003.

The economy in our town was terrible. I say that from the perspective of looking back. At the time, nobody really considered themselves as being poor because, I suppose, everybody was in the same boat. I know that in 1934 my dad, who was the Ford Dealer, only sold five new cars the entire year. It nearly killed him to have to lay off sales personnel and (again looking back) greatly affected his health. Truly, those were the days that tried men's souls.

George Thomas Jones, e-mail to author, 5 August 2004.

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