Penny Postcard is a dramatic narrative about the life of the author’s mother, Stella. Janet Lee has created a vivid account that begins with the birth of Stella, the sixth of twelve children, who is literally born in a barn in Texas. Her father is an abusive, philandering alcoholic who beats his wife and demands constant labor of his children. The family travels to Arizona and then California, where they are sheltered by the Salvation Army and later live in a government camp. When they land back in Texas, Stella schemes to escape her father’s clutches. She finally runs away...