National Award Winner for

Non-fiction!

Jean Bell gives us an intimate picture of her mother – Teeta, a gracious woman who emerges from these pages to become a friend – only to pass away tragically at the age of thirty-seven. Though her life was foreshortened, Teeta left a legacy of love and an example of a life well-lived through the letters so thoughtfully edited and presented here.

--Mary Ann Tate, Arts Editor, Colorado Serenity  Magazine

The true story of a woman’s life in 1940’s America During the Depression, Teeta takes the only job she can find—teaching school in an old mining town near Death Valley. It would be easy for her to complain. The primitive dormitory for teachers, temperatures of 120°, and a separation of two hundred miles from her family in Los Angeles are just some of the difficulties she encounters. But America has just gotten a crash course in appreciation. So, instead of hardships, Teeta sees a land of haunting beauty and students who need her. And romance! On a blind date, she meets the man she’ll eventually marry. Their courtship overcomes all obstacles—religious differences, family objections, and financial hard times. Teeta’s natural optimism continues to serve her well as she navigates the climactic changes that follow -- the end of the Depression, World War II, and the postwar boom years. The letters Teeta writes are snapshots of the culture of those years, from her newlywed cooking experiments to the then-current bestsellers and black-and-white movies. While Teeta’s letters are intimate and personal, they also chronicle a piece of American history, captured with the innocence of an eyewitness unaware of the significance of her commentary. Many of us long for a bygone era, a time when life was less complicated and people were grounded in simple acts of home, family, and community. Teeta’s letters collected in this book allow us to eavesdrop on what America was really like in the days before technology took over – those good old days.