Iva Mae: The Book of Mom

Iva Mae: The Book of Mom tells the story of a young girl on the Kansas farm in the 1920’s and the changes she made throughout her lifetime. Beginning in the rural areas of Southeast Kansas and Ozark Mountains of Missouri, Iva Mae traveled the country and Europe while she experienced different cultures, social environments and venues including dinner at the White House. Iva Mae lived her ninety-one years with the attitude that she did the best with what she had to work with at the time. From the moment I opened my mother’s keepsake box after her death I knew that her story needed to be told. Her life was filled with trials and struggle, yet she remained optimistic and filled her emptiness with faith. She lived many different lives over her years with family, faith and love of new places driving her to experience all she could, said the author, Robin Anne Griffiths. Iva Mae grew up without electricity or indoor plumbing, and faced numerous hardships ranging from a devastating house fire as a child to her mother’s death when she was fifteen. Iva Mae’s adult years were plagued by health problems, money worries and two rocky marriages. Yet through it all, her faith in God, ability to find happiness, and love of family never faltered. Iva Mae: The Book of Mom offers a glimpse into America’s past and one woman’s struggles as well as triumphs. Iva Mae did not let fear stop her from discovering what life had to offer. Known for her cooking, love of holidays, and adventurous, ready-to-go spirit, Iva Mae lived her ninety-one years to the fullest through the decades of change ranging from the 1920’s well into the twenty-first century.