Dreamer in the Fields

In a true story, somewhat reminiscent of the fictionalized Joad family in John Steinbeck's immortal work, "The Grapes of Wrath," comes the Hill family -- ten children (one dies early) born to parents who favor alcohol above the basic needs of their children. Author John Hill recounts the hardships, the back-breaking work, picking fruits, vegetables, and even cotton, under the harsh California sun; living in filthy, dusty migrant shacks or tents; moving from school to school, and never seeming to progress educationally; his parents' constant drinking and violent fights. Finally, his mother abandons the family. Fed up with the poor quality of his life, even as an eight-year-old, he asks God to change his circumstances. A short time later, a spiritual visitor appears and his life whip-lashes abruptly; his father is jailed, and he and his eight siblings are put in a foster home. While some of his older siblings rebel against the strictures of their foster parents, Hill delights in his new home and parents. He revels in the normalcy of his new life, finds comfort in the requirement to attend church and school, and embarks on the educational journey he has desired for so long. When his biological mother suddenly reappears to reclaim her children after a four-year absence, Hill, then twelve years old, opts to stay with his foster parents, and convinces his mother to let all the children remain together.