Beth Caruso

Honest childhood memoir of life in a missionary family abroad in India.
Format: Kindle Edition

5 Stars ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Margaret Essebaggers Dopirak tells an interesting and candid personal story about her life growing up in a missionary family stationed in India. She also recounts the small part of her childhood that was spent in the USA while her family was on furlough during World War II. It was a fascinating account of a unique childhood that takes the reader to a point in India's history and her own that can never be replaced. From the perspective of a child, we see the aspirations, accomplishments, and struggles of her missionary family. She also recounts the boarding school experiences she had with other missionary children. In her memoir, Ms. Dopirak does not shy away from telling about both the more glowing and the less complimentary personality aspects of herself and those around her. For this reason, it is honest and relatable even though her situation was not one of a typical American child in the 1940s and 1950s. She takes the reader on a journey to view her past experiences with Indian friendships, language, customs, disease, danger, travel, and amazing experiences all taken in stride and when warranted, appreciation. I thoroughly enjoyed this memoir and meeting the author's loving and adventurous family through this book.