Memoir traces a mother’s lasting influence on two children during wartime Alabama

Lila Marie Pennington Ryals’ memoir follows her childhood in Fairhope, Alabama, after her mother’s death in 1941, showing how family lessons helped her and her younger brother navigate the Great Depression and World War II. The book is now available on Amazon and centers on the question that guided the siblings: what would their mother do?

Why it matters: - The memoir shows how a parent’s values can shape children long after death. - The story also preserves a view of childhood in Fairhope, Alabama, during the Great Depression and World War II. - The book connects personal loss with the broader pressures of wartime America, including hunger, fear, rationing, and instability.

What happened: - Author Lila Marie Pennington Ryals wrote What Would Mama Do?: Growing Up An "Almost" Orphan in Fairhope about her childhood after her mother, Demmie Pennington, died in 1941. - Ryals and her younger brother, Buddy, were seven and nine years old when they were left to manage much of life on their own. - The memoir is available for purchase on Amazon.

The details: - The book focuses on how Ryals and Buddy used the question, “What would Mama do?” to guide their decisions. - Ryals says she promised Buddy she would write the story of their lives during the years they lived in Fairhope alone together. - The memoir describes family life, community relationships, food rationing, wartime concerns, and childhood experiences in Alabama. - Ryals documents the role of family values, faith, and perseverance in helping children cope with loss. - The siblings’ shared memories of their mother serve as a source of comfort and direction.

Between the lines: - The memoir is not only about hardship. It also frames grief as something shaped by inherited lessons and moral guidance. - The book’s emotional center is the sibling bond, which becomes a stabilizing force during a period of uncertainty. - Ryals is preserving family history as part of a larger record of ordinary life during major national upheaval.

What’s next: - Ryals is available for book signings, author appearances, and media inquiries. - Requests can be directed to Lila Marie Pennington Ryals at +1 (410) 660-3198. - The memoir will continue reaching readers interested in family history, Southern life, and wartime memory.

The bottom line: - What Would Mama Do? turns one family’s grief into a larger story about resilience, memory, and the lasting reach of a mother’s example.