tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6129427507761315524.post6854088992833703007..comments2024-03-29T11:36:25.050+00:00Comments on Clothes In Books: The Plague and I by Betty MacDonaldClothes In Bookshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14680610242823846662noreply@blogger.comBlogger35125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6129427507761315524.post-49735926611896684962017-07-08T22:23:54.075+01:002017-07-08T22:23:54.075+01:00Oh yes Kimi was lovely. Oh all those women were so...Oh yes Kimi was lovely. Oh all those women were so real... And thanks for the extra info - I didn't know what Christmas seals were. Clothes In Bookshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14680610242823846662noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6129427507761315524.post-63433762950813794162017-07-07T22:19:36.474+01:002017-07-07T22:19:36.474+01:00Yes! Drives me crazy.
I just finished it last nig...Yes! Drives me crazy.<br /><br />I just finished it last night, and it's odd to say, but it was a fun read. Few more things. Soy sauce wasn't the kitchen staple then as it is now, so she called it shoyu, the Japanese name, just as Kimi would have called it. Christmas seals! She mentioned her gifts from her daughters were completely covered with them. Christmas seals were still a thing when I was a kid. They were just like postage stamps, but they had Christmassy images. And... proceeds from their sales went to fund TB research!!! I'd completely forgotten about them. They probably died out in the late 50s or early 60s.<br /><br />All I can say, if I ever have to go to a sanatorium I want a Kimi as a roommate. I loved her sardonic humor. No {{shudder}} Minnas for me. carrpshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16726596939143045758noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6129427507761315524.post-65154892415439482612017-07-07T21:19:53.478+01:002017-07-07T21:19:53.478+01:00I think I hadn't realized they were real names...I think I hadn't realized they were real names, how very interesting! <br />That's exactly why I like reading this kind of book - the detail. And as you say, those are the things that disappear from our consciousness. I got really annoyed at a book I read a while back where the characters kept referring to the supper cooking, and the pan on the stove etc but never told you what it was...Clothes In Bookshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14680610242823846662noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6129427507761315524.post-83116841666565317262017-07-06T22:16:54.077+01:002017-07-06T22:16:54.077+01:00I'm about half way through this now, and I'...I'm about half way through this now, and I'm loving it! I love that she's so detailed, since this is a vanished world that few people alive today would have experienced. I especially love that she's described many meals in detail. A pet peeve of mine is people mention going to eat and never actually saying what they ate (reminds me of the Seinfeld episode where Jerry accuses Elaine of "yadda-yaddaing" sex when describing a date saying she left out "the best part." And Elaine says "No. I mentioned the lobster bisque.") Maybe that says too much about me!<br /><br />But I found it interesting that she used real names of her fellow inmates. And aren't they a fascinating bunch? I found two of them on ancestry.com. <br /><br />I have a British edition of the book which has review blurbs on the back. A Graham Hutton from the BBC says it's an especially good book for the British to read since it shows Americans as they really are "alive and kicking." Heh. But it really does show a slice of life in all its gory details. And a slice of life that's completely unknown today. Utterly absorbing.carrpshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16726596939143045758noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6129427507761315524.post-67819889156547410802017-04-09T11:22:29.537+01:002017-04-09T11:22:29.537+01:00Kathy, people are sometimes puzzled that the extre...Kathy, people are sometimes puzzled that the extreme brainwashing of the convent didn't "take". Did they think it should?Lucy R. Fisherhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08632983296994349550noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6129427507761315524.post-52614837638941887812017-02-17T09:43:35.792+00:002017-02-17T09:43:35.792+00:00We used to be tested for it at school, and there w...We used to be tested for it at school, and there was an aura of fear and shame about it even then, left over from the pre-cure times. But it is desperate news that it is on the rise again. Clothes In Bookshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14680610242823846662noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6129427507761315524.post-42908549667539874222017-02-16T17:30:33.777+00:002017-02-16T17:30:33.777+00:00Lots of interesting information here, both in the ...Lots of interesting information here, both in the post and in the comments. Here at the city college I work for, employees are required to have a TB test every 4 years, which seems strange when I have never known anyone with TB. But reading more about it, I see that it is still a problem, and as Kathy says, mostly in poor countries.TracyKhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08303342674824383688noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6129427507761315524.post-41782204680786968272017-02-10T10:52:40.379+00:002017-02-10T10:52:40.379+00:00Thanks so much for coming and sharing that - fasci...Thanks so much for coming and sharing that - fascinating! She obviously meant a lot to people, and I'm not surprised. As I say above, living in Seattle for a time makes her so much more real to me. <br />You've really inspired me to look at more of the books you mention. Clothes In Bookshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14680610242823846662noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6129427507761315524.post-17864245122732242072017-02-10T10:51:01.623+00:002017-02-10T10:51:01.623+00:00Yes, there's no doubt about that, and poor liv...Yes, there's no doubt about that, and poor living conditions contribute hugely to its spread. Clothes In Bookshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14680610242823846662noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6129427507761315524.post-71933786681775818582017-02-10T10:50:32.205+00:002017-02-10T10:50:32.205+00:00Thanks for the tipoff, and yes, there was a very c...Thanks for the tipoff, and yes, there was a very complete change in prognosis over such a short time. Must have been incredible.Clothes In Bookshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14680610242823846662noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6129427507761315524.post-87921308742060419422017-02-07T06:25:24.740+00:002017-02-07T06:25:24.740+00:00Interesting discussion - and so fun to find a numb...Interesting discussion - and so fun to find a number of Betty MacDonald fans - or at least people who remember her! <br /><br />Post Hypnotic Press has recorded all of Betty MacDonald's memoirs with award winning narrator Heather Henderson. Henderson is also co-producer and it was her initiative. She had always wanted to voice MacDonald's "The Egg and I" and I'm so glad we got together to make this happen. Well worth the listen whether or not you've read Betty's memoirs. https://posthypnoticpress.leadpages.co/betty-books/<br /><br />I have to say that I found "The Plague and I" quite funny, although it was also sensitive and moving and a fascinating peek into a very different time. And Betty was such a great writer! She was a great observer of people and she had a knack of finding humor in adversity. Tuberculosis, obviously, in the Plague and I. The Egg and I is her struggle as a very young wife to survive in pretty rough conditions. Anybody Can Do Anything is a hilarious account of surviving the Great Depression. Onions in The Stew, her last book published in the early 50s, is the only memoir that doesn't really have her facing adversity, unless you feel that raising teenagers or living on Vashon Island is adversity.<br /><br />Paula Car above mentioned a restaurant in LA named The Egg and Eye - great pun! There is also a restaurant chain in several states in the US - The Egg and I Restuarants - whose name was inspired by Betty MacDonald's books. The original owners were fans of Betty MacDonald. :)<br /><br />I'll give anyone who can decipher the shorthand on the steno pad in Betty's hand on our cover of "Anybody Can Do Anything" free digital copies of all four memoirs and our recording of Paula Becker's recent biography, "Looking for Betty MacDonald." You can see the cover here:<br /><br />http://www.posthypnoticpress.com/product/anybody-can-do-anything<br /><br />Use our contact box to submit your answers, but if you do know what it says PLEASE DON'T SHARE IT PUBLICLY. We don't want people submitting someone else's answer. :)<br /><br />http://www.posthypnoticpress.com/contactAnonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01865558193396309185noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6129427507761315524.post-31459283061371889542017-02-06T03:50:39.418+00:002017-02-06T03:50:39.418+00:00Of course, it's people in the poorest countrie...Of course, it's people in the poorest countries that have higher rats of TB, meaning their health care systems are inadequate and impoverished. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6129427507761315524.post-29344912718459710312017-02-04T23:35:01.755+00:002017-02-04T23:35:01.755+00:00Florrie's Girls by Maeve Kelly is about nurses...Florrie's Girls by Maeve Kelly is about nurses in 1950s London, and the Irish narrator gets TB. But the interesting thing is that it's just late enough not to be a death sentence - she say something like "with streptomycin and P.A.S. of course I will be all right" whereas a few years earlier that wouldn't necessarily have been the case.Susanna Taylernoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6129427507761315524.post-17075677816680463442017-02-02T13:27:46.256+00:002017-02-02T13:27:46.256+00:00Yes, the truth of her relationship with her husban...Yes, the truth of her relationship with her husband was a bit different I think. WE are right to be terrified of TB, those figures are horrifying.Clothes In Bookshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14680610242823846662noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6129427507761315524.post-27734602691422531722017-02-02T09:06:37.431+00:002017-02-02T09:06:37.431+00:00I remember Claudette Colbert in the film. I think...I remember Claudette Colbert in the film. I think she was in a happy marriage on a farm, but I gather Betty MacDonald's first husband was not a nice guy. <br /><br />I looked up TB after I read this post. It is still a top killer in the world, causing about 1.8 million deaths a year, with 8 to 10 million people getting sick with it. A few strains are resistant to antibiotics, a big problem.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6129427507761315524.post-73482917373379131572017-02-01T10:25:09.748+00:002017-02-01T10:25:09.748+00:00I haven't seen the film but now you are inspir...I haven't seen the film but now you are inspiring me to try to find it. V funny about the restaurant. Clothes In Bookshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14680610242823846662noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6129427507761315524.post-80294987268311099052017-02-01T10:24:43.834+00:002017-02-01T10:24:43.834+00:00Yes, I am glad I have read it, and my reading in t...Yes, I am glad I have read it, and my reading in the last couple of weeks has certainly made me think about a world that has gone - not just the medical problems, but the attitudes, the way people were treated and so on.Clothes In Bookshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14680610242823846662noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6129427507761315524.post-32330628348733174342017-02-01T10:23:17.066+00:002017-02-01T10:23:17.066+00:00It is very much worth reading. The book starts whe...It is very much worth reading. The book starts when she has left the chicken farm and husband, and gone back to live in Seattle with her family. There were so many things in the setup that make you realized the differences since that period... Clothes In Bookshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14680610242823846662noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6129427507761315524.post-39824829767050046222017-02-01T10:22:13.055+00:002017-02-01T10:22:13.055+00:00I think TB was far more widespread than I, at leas...I think TB was far more widespread than I, at least, had realized, and not that long ago. Everyone would have known someone who had it, someone who had to go away... Horrible. Clothes In Bookshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14680610242823846662noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6129427507761315524.post-63879770302952178362017-01-31T18:11:10.562+00:002017-01-31T18:11:10.562+00:00As soon as I saw the name Betty MacDonald, I thoug...As soon as I saw the name Betty MacDonald, I thought of "The Egg and I." I was planning to google her to see if it was the same person, but you confirmed it so I don't have to. I haven't read the book, but I've seen the movie (Claudette Colbert and Fred MacMurray) several times. It was a staple on channels that ran old movies. There was a restaurant here in L.A. called "The Egg and the Eye" (their logo was an egg in an egg cup with an eye superimposed on it) that was part of the Craft and Folk Art Museum (and shop). I miss that place. Wish I still had my copy of their poster.carrpshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16726596939143045758noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6129427507761315524.post-5532575930120867742017-01-31T15:31:38.806+00:002017-01-31T15:31:38.806+00:00I read this at least 30 years ago, but once read, ...I read this at least 30 years ago, but once read, never forgotten. The nurses were not immune and I remember vividly the part where a nurse succumbed to a particularly aggressive kind and was dead in weeks. There is certainly comedy, but of the blackest kind and like you I was too horrified for laughing out loud. Hard to imagine that this was so recent. Christinehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16510409974009816550noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6129427507761315524.post-69829274782012526202017-01-31T12:21:42.438+00:002017-01-31T12:21:42.438+00:00Must read this. I loved "The egg and I" ...Must read this. I loved "The egg and I" and never knew what happened to the author subsequently. The lack of empathy in the period was quite astounding - the comment about Camille both made me hoot with laughter, and gulp in disbelief.Bookhoundhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03101346534682901240noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6129427507761315524.post-6153064156108859712017-01-31T10:13:49.619+00:002017-01-31T10:13:49.619+00:00This book sounds terrifying to me. It reminds me ...This book sounds terrifying to me. It reminds me that my uncle had TB during WWII and survived, but one of his brothers, whom I never met, died of the disease before I was born. <br /><br />However, what some friends who attended Catholic school have said is that as soon as possible, they fled, never to return.<br />Rejected all of it.<br /><br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6129427507761315524.post-77848062583240728842017-01-30T22:51:16.491+00:002017-01-30T22:51:16.491+00:00It is such an interesting phenomenon isn't it,...It is such an interesting phenomenon isn't it, well worth thinking about. My daughter wrote a piece for the i newspaper recently about school uniform: she is generally against, and talked about the school she attended. The responses were fascinating - some people have such mythic views of the value of uniform. Uniform might or might not be a good thing (I know what I think...) but there really isn't any logic, or proof, or intrinsic good, and it isn't sensible to pretend there is. Clothes In Bookshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14680610242823846662noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6129427507761315524.post-38800944085416578722017-01-30T22:47:50.630+00:002017-01-30T22:47:50.630+00:00People were terrified of it, but with good reason....People were terrified of it, but with good reason. And it was widespread. I think back then everyone would have known someone who had been in a sanatorium, even though it is close to unimaginable now.Clothes In Bookshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14680610242823846662noreply@blogger.com