Backwoods South Florida and a young polyglot Miami made growing up difficult for Davida (“Pete”) Gates, a tomboy girl born into abject poverty, with both loving and unloving relatives. Only slowly was she able to adjust to the world outside her poverty and country ways, and she lived with emotional and psychological residues through a long and successful lifetime.

Eventually she obtained a good education-became a teacher; professor; and professional sociologist. She did a lot of hiking and other adventures, and traveled widely, but remembers her childhood with much sentiment in spite remaining hang-ups. 

The author spent her first eleven years, except for two, in the deep backwoods of South Florida, in a desperately poor family and community in the 1920’s. She finished growing up in young Miami during the World Depression.

This volume details her early experiences and settings, tracing their influences, good and bad, upon her whole life. It is excellent supplementary reading for high school and college courses in Socialization, Social Psychology, Florida history, and Depression Economics. Gates pulls no punches, and provides follow-up notes for closure to influential personalities.

This autobiography is recommended also for general reading.