PRIVATE PATH: The Desk Calendars of Mary Jo Clark 1937-1944

When Mary Jo Clark died, she left behind a library that nobody knew existed. In the back of a desk drawer, her children found seven desk calendars. On thousands of three by four inch pages, Mary Jo tells the story of her young adulthood. It’s also the story of ‘The Greatest Generation.’ Raised in the Great Depression, they came of age just in time for World War II. It’s a story of faith and family, of hard work and of a hunger for education and advancement; a story of wartime separations and tragedy, and a love story too. Mary Jo and Jack Clark are also the authors of On the Home Front. The Chicago Sun-Times wrote: "The book itself is a marvel of writerly restraint... Some are private moments… other brush against history--news of Pearl Harbor, or the Dorchester, a World War II troop ship sunk off the coast of Greenland. It was famous for the four chaplains who gave up their life vests to other sailors, but Bill, who was dating Mary Jo's younger sister, wasn't one of the lucky survivors... The books strength is that it doesn't stoop to Greatest Generation mythologizing. The Clarks are real people, and Mary Jo doesn't try to make them heroes."

About the Author :
During the Great Depression, Mary Jo Clark left school, lied about her age and her name, and went to work at age fifteen to help support her family. She spent years working in the mail order business, first at Sears and then at Spiegel’s, while finishing high school at night. She met her future husband in an English Literature class. They married during World War II while the groom was on a furlough from the Army. Eventually Mary Jo followed her husband to an air base in Florida. This is where their first child was born. They returned to Chicago after the war and seven more children followed. Her West Side Stories, written with her son Jack, appeared in the Chicago Reader beginning in 1995. In 2002 the stories were collected in the book “On the Home Front.” She died at home in 2004, surrounded by her children. Jack Clark was the winner of the Page One Award from the Chicago Newspaper Guild for feature writing. His novel “Westerfield’s Chain,” was a finalist for the Shamus Award. The Chicago Tribune called that book “The best mystery of the month,” and said there was a memorable moment “on virtually every page.” His novel “Nobody’s Angel,” earned him an appearance on NPR’s Fresh Air. The book was called “A gem,” by the Washington Post and “Just about perfect.” He is also the co-author of “On the Home Front,” a collection of his mother’s stories about her younger days in Chicago. Besides writing, Jack has also worked as a long haul furniture mover for Allied Van Lines and as a Chicago cabdriver.