Ice Cream Sundays

by Luella Thomas


Formats

Hardcover
$24.95
$17.95
Softcover
$14.95
$9.50
Hardcover
$17.95

Book Details

Language : English
Publication Date : 4/12/2002

Format : Hardcover
Dimensions : 6x9
Page Count : 108
ISBN : 9781403340450
Format : Softcover
Dimensions : 5x8
Page Count : 108
ISBN : 9780759662438

About the Book

Ice Cream Sundays portrays how a courageous woman, against all odds, survived nepotism as well as battered women syndrome. It was no secret of the resentment her mother displayed against her as a young child. Her family’s lack of interest in education and ritualistic views also plagued her life tremendously. Unlike the parents and twelve siblings, she yearned for knowledge. Learning to read as a youth fascinated her to the point of stealing away from the fields to seek an education in a one-room schoolhouse. She was forced by her father to quit school in the fifth grade. Poverty-stricken, the family readily accepted odd jobs to help make ends meet. Sometimes these odd jobs would place the children in danger of bears, escaped horses, or even lustful men.

She was jailed and brutally beaten by two policemen at the age of fourteen, all because of an unfaithful husband’s infidelity. Being so young, this destroyed her confidence in the legal system. At the age of eighteen, she was forced to marry a man she did not love to pay back a favor between her father and his friend. Receiving the first slap across the face a year later revealed the ugly truth about this man called her husband. These catastrophic nightmares lingered for five decades. The betrayal and mistreatment made life unbearable, to the point of seclusion. But, her strong spiritual belief in God, her willingness to work hard, the love of her children, and wit is how she gained freedom. In spite of the fact that she possessed no diploma or degrees in higher education, she greeted each of her seven children with great admiration as they received high school diplomas and college degrees.


About the Author

Born on August 1, 1927 in a rural township in the Eastern part of North Carolina, Luella R. Thomas was the fifth child of thirteen children. Lacking the education and wealth to succeed, she worked diligently as a housekeeper and a laborer for much of her life. Knowledge was obtained from everyday experiences and challenges that no formal institution could provide. Life was a good teacher.

The greatest teacher, of course, was the church. Gospel music and songs offered spiritual relief from some of her troubles. She felt compelled to jot down a few lines on anything she could find, even cardboard boxes, to express some of her most horrible nightmares.

As years passed, she became a caregiver for the mentally challenged, homeless, and the elderly including her father. She is now highly regarded as a zealous advocate of truth and integrity by her family, the church and the community. Luella is also the matriarch of the Thomas clan with her seven children being the first benefactors of her loving influences.