"Don't Be Give UP."

Biographies & Memoirs

Hickman, Shirley Skufca

Memoirs

CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform

"Don't Be Give UP." The story of a young girl growing up in a Colorado coal mining town during World War II. 
"My Grandma's indomitable spirit strutted through my life when I was a child in the 1940s. If I complained that a job was too hard, she'd scold me in broken English, 'Don't be give up.' This could have been the motto for Americans during World War II." 
Seen through the eyes of a young girl, history and narrative merge to explore the war on the Home Front. At first the war is exciting for Shirley and her sisters as they play spies, war games with icicles, buy War Bond stamps, and "can" dirt for winter mud pies. 
The war becomes more serious when every Christmas is marked by another empty chair at the table. Shirley's uncles go into the army and her aunt leaves home to marry a soldier. 
Everything in Shirley's daily life is affected by the war from the rationing of food to the news reports that give her nightmares. Worse than that are the long silences from her uncles. Anxiety is heightened when three soldiers from Crested Butte are killed. 
Told with humor and pathos, "Don't Be Give Up," is an important reminder of the sacrifices made on all fronts to protect American's freedom.When

"Don't Be Give Up"

Pagefree Pub Inc

As they work in the orange groves, Elena Hernandez’s parents are suddenly taken away by uniformed men. Elena believes that Immigration has deported them back to Mexico. Only seventeen, she is left to care for her younger brother, Miguel and sister, Lupe. When she doesn’t hear from her parents, she is afraid something terrible has happened. Elena dreams of graduating but may have to leave school to support her family. When a mysterious caller demands money for her parents’ return, Elena is afraid that Rodriguez, the labor contractor who hired her parents, is behind their disappearance. Should she go to the police and risk deportation or stay in the shadows and spend the rest of her life working in the fields. *** Early Ready Reviews: “An entertaining narrative on an important contemporary topic. I thoroughly enjoyed it.” Teresa de la Rosa Immigration Rights Advocate “This book is excellent and I personally can relate to it. I enjoyed reading it.” Alejandra Hernandez, Tulare County Deputy Sheriff Fall in Love with an Orange Tree or a Book resonates with authenticity as it portrays the difficulties faced by immigrant families in California and the grace with which they face them. Jann McGuire, M.Ed, Bilingual Educator “Shirley Skufca Hickman has brought an important issue out of the shadows in her dramatic and gripping story about a teen in a small town in Central California and what happens when her parents are taken away by immigration.” Marilyn Meredith, author of the Deputy Tempe Crabtree mysteries.

Fall in Love With an Orange Tree or a Book

Literature & Fiction

United States

Oak Tree Pub Inc

School Success

Education & Teaching

Schools & Teaching

After World War II, miners in Crested Butte work only three days a week, so in order to support his family, Steve Skufca moves his wife and three daughters to Gunnison. Only 28 miles apart, the two Colorado towns have little in common other than their high altitudes, bitter winter cold and snow storms. Crested Butte’s immigrants and their families are Catholics, Democrats and union supporters. Gunnison’s Anglo-Saxon ranchers boast of generations living off the land and hold fast to their Protestant faith and the Republican Party. Nine-year-old Shirley Skufca is afraid she’ll never adapt to her new life in Gunnison. Terrified of going to a new school in the sixth grade, she tries to be like the other girls, attempting unsuccessfully to ice skate and only moderately successful riding a horse. She makes friends with Karen who shares her love of books, and they spend hours attempting to write a novel when they aren’t talking endlessly about boys. Shirley gains some acceptance when she is elected one of the queen’s attendants for the Spring Festival, but while the other girls wear pastel gowns, Shirley’s borrowed gold taffeta gown is an embarrassment. Being in Camp Fire, 4-H, and acting in plays boost her self-confidence, but she wonders if she’ll ever fit in. *** Touching, often humorous and always filled with hope, this book rings true for anyone who’s ever been the new kid in a strange town, trying to be brave while struggling to make friends. Ken Jon Booth – Author of The Stories of My Lives. Although politics, religion and family life are different in their new community, the abiding morals of their home provide the glue to hold the family together. Brent Gill, Newspaper Columnist The subtle humor lingers long after the reader turns the last page. Raghavendra Rao – Physician and author

Is Everybody Happy Now?: Growing Up After World War II

Community & Culture

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Books by Hickman, Shirley Skufca