This collection of letters is so intricate and detailed, and I feel like out of them you get a deep understanding of the writer of most of them, Maimie. It's amazing to me that in spite of all of the disadvantages she faced -- she's a working-class woman, an immigrant, disabled, with a past seemingly full of unending tragedy -- she refused to play the victim and kept striving and striving to improve her situation, those of those around her, and those of those like her.

There are a lot of individual aspects of these letters that I could pull out and comment on, but I shall try to resist the temptation! However, writing my research essay on them should be fun.