Sam Bledsoe

Sisters Sam Bledsoe

Three sisters grew up in a family of seven in rural Eastern Kentucky during the Great Depression. Their father was a coal miner earning barely enough money for his family to survive. His backbreaking job working in the mines left him depleted and beaten down. Their mother, bitter and unhappy with her own drab life and sternly religious, treated them harshly. They wore rough homemade clothes and often went hungry. Their home life was chaotic and abusive. By the time they were teenagers, they realized they couldn't depend on anyone-not even their own parents-so they learned to manage on their own. With no more than fourth grade educations, no job skills and no money, their only option was to find a husband. They faced overwhelming odds but they were determined to escape the cycle of poverty in which they were born. This is the story of three young women who rose to the challenge of finding love and security during hard times and the men who loved them.