Wendy Bilen

FINDING JOSIE BY WENDY BILEN takes the reader (and Wendy Bilen) back to the life of her grandmother Josie Broadhead. Most of us have had or still have grandmothers like Josie. From the first page I not only got to know about Josie, but it brought back all the memories of my grandmother who like Josie was born and raised on a farm. Josie, her life, her love & her passion of writing and taking in the strays of the world that just happened to stop at her house to ask for a handout or a bed.

Its not very often that I find a biography that can hold my interest page after page. Wendy Bilen did just that with FINDING JOSIE. The author ( and Josie's granddaughter) did a fantastic job of bringing Josie back to life in this book. I kept wanting to know more about Josie & her family. About how Josie herself found a passion in writing even though it was not perfect enough for publication, just perfect for Josie though. FINDING JOSIE BY WENDY BILEN is that rare biography that does not bloviate the subject nor make them larger than life. FINDING JOSIE is about a real woman who, not famous, was the perfect subject for a biography, a normal woman. Who better than a real, average, American woman to be a person who's life story must be shared by all.

I recieved this book free in exchange for an honest review.… (meer)

Finding Josie (Wendy Bilen)

"With a focus squarely on the Midwest, Wendy Bilen pieces together the history of her grandmother, Josie Broadhead, born in 1911 and raised on the North Dakota prairie. Josie married a Wisconsin farmer and moved to a large dairy farm outside La Crosse; along the way she began taking in people in need of a home: " (publisher's note)
I enjoy a touching memoir and this time period is of particular interest to me.

Watching Josie's life unfold in a reflective, considerate manner, I had the feeling that granddaughter, Wendy was experiencing a revelation and personal insight.
Thought provoking.....and I would imagine of special interest to someone with Midwestern roots.

LibraryThing member giveaway… (meer)

This is a memoir written by a woman about her grandmother; it presents an unvarnished view of the trails and triumphs of a farmer's wife in Wisconsin. Josie was born in 1911 and grew up in North Dakota on a farm. There are several black and white photos throughout the rather disjointed narrative; at times it gets a bit confusing as to the relationships of the various people being described. As this book would appeal to readers who work on their own family histories, a simple genealogical chart would have been an asset.… (meer)