The House on Riddle Hill

The House on Riddle Hill is an historical account of the early life of Glenn Tompkins who was born in 1927 on Crowley's Ridge in southeast Missouri. Presented in the form of short stories, the author describes life on the ridge and along the dirt roads near Campbell and Malden in the Missouri "bootheel." The stories tell of the lives of common people struggling to survive in hard times and in a harsh landscape. Mr Tompkins provides insight to a society in the midst of change, and how that change impacted upon his family. Here are moments from the life of a southeast Missouri youngster that reveals how teachers, preachers, bankers, and strangers helped bridge the gap from the old to the new economy and new society in the first half of the century. These stories give meaning to ordinary moments and are a truthful account of what it was like to live and work on Crowley's Ridge in this time period. Read as a whole these vignettes enhance our understanding of the evolutionary steps along the journey from one era to another, in the life of an individual and a family in the "House on Riddle Hill."