Reading Changed My Life - Townsend Press

Julia Burneycope with, I can understand why they drank. Butalcohol ruined a large portion of our lives. I lovedmy parents, but I hated their drinking.”As the oldest of so many children, Julia wasexpected to take on a great deal of responsibility.There wasn’t much time for her to be a child. “Iremember playing outside with friends, but thosememories are fleeting,” she says. “After just a fewminutes, it was, ‘Julia Mae, get in here and startdinner.’ ”The family’s poverty was crushing. The electricitywas turned off so many times that Julia saystoday, “I grew up in the dark.” Nowadays inRacine, where the winter wind chill can plunge to60 below zero, public utilities are forbidden to turnoff people’s heat for non-payment of bills until April15. That was not the case when Julia was a child.During many frigid Wisconsin winters, her familytried to warm itself with space heaters, candles, andextra layers of clothing.63