Harem Scarem in El Cerrito

Who would have thought that a certain sweet, elderly lady in the congregation
of our church could actually be a latent John Steinbeck or William Saroyan? Not
since reading Saroyan's Collection of Short Stories have I so enjoyed a 1920's
and Depression years portrait of America as the one Neva Carpenter has so
vividly brought to life in her written pictorial childhood memoirs, Harem
Scarem. Reading Neva's memories makes one feel as if the events are happening
for the first time to both the reader and the author. Neva didn't just write an
autobiographical account of her life. She painted a picture to be imprinted in
all of our memories, allowing each of us to actually own a little bit of her
childhood experiences as if they were our own.

What makes the book exceptional is Neva's expansion of the narrative to include
an omniscient account of all the book's prime characters, for example, the time
her father lost his wallet. The reader experiences the events of Neva's life
not only through Neva's eyes, but also through the eyes of her loved ones. This
lets us gain an even more intimate understanding of the events that shaped her
life. Neva's memories are pure genius; a testament to a family's struggles with
life, hardship, and illness, all to be overcome by the great power of love that
her family had for life and for each other.

- Christine Greaves