Publisher's Synopsis
After the depression, a young girl is born into an immigrant family. At age five, she is ironing and doing laundry while both her parents are out working. As she grows, she cannot make friends or venture into the world, her place is in the home, to iron, do laundry and to cook and clean. She wants to go to college cannot because education is reserved for her baby brother. Her wedding reception is cancelled because her uncle dies of a stroke. Later in life, her baby brother dies of a stroke. Her and her family take in her parents to live with them. Her mother dies first; leaving the father that prevented her from going to college. Eventually she becomes a grandmother and after her husband dies; she only lives for her grandchildren. One Christmas Eve as she and her grandchildren anticipate the arrival of Santa Clause, she is the victim of a sudden stroke, but a very unkind stroke, one that leaves her incapable of walking or talking. Suddenly, this strong-willed grandmother is living in a wheelchair, unable to provide basic care for herself and unable to meaningfully interact with those around her. This book discusses the history of the person so that the reader knows the type of person that the unkind stroke affected. This book discusses the struggles, effects and impressions on all of those around the stroke victim and acknowledges that although the stroke affects the victim, that the victim is not the only victim. And through the darkness of it all, there is light, there is laughter, there are memories being made until finally at the end, there is enough love and presence of mind to understand the sign of the Hawk.
