Critics Corner

"Mardo Williams brings out the extraordinary in a seemingly ordinary century's worth of experiences in his fine biography of MAUDE."
- Leonard Lopate, National Public Radio

"Because he was patient with the details, the scenes, the landscape of character, [the author] came away with an engaging and fascinating work about a courageous woman..."
- Mike Harden, The Columbus Dispatch

"Maude is an excellent book to assign to a survey class in modern U.S. history,...showing us …that history is not some obtuse force that only affects prominent men and women. The book provide[s] tremendous insight into the lives of a Midwestern farming family during the twentieth century. It does an excellent job showing how wider events such as World War I, the Great Depression, and World War II influenced ordinary Americans. It also illustrates the innumerable changes that occurred during the twentieth century and how those changes forever altered life for one Ohio family."
- Michael Mangus, Ph.D., Lecturer, Ohio State University

"Maude is not only a fascinating story of an extraordinarily resilient woman but also an invaluable insight into how family life, and making a living, changed so dramatically during the 20th century. The book is of considerable value not only to general readers but also to social historians…"
- Dr. Richard Trainor, Vice-Chancellor, University of Greenwich, U.K.

"Written with humor and grace--and a few earthy touches...."
- Grace McKernan, Pearce-Sunsites, Arizona

"Life was not all Little-House-on-the Prairie perfect. A suicide and two murders grieved the family. Extraordinarily detailed and page-turning Maude was the grandmother we all wish we had."
- Janet Overmyer, Ohioana Quarterly