About the memoir
Made In My Likeness tells the story of growing up as one of twelve children on a 320-acre Wisconsin dairy farm, from the children’s point of view.
My name is Lawrence Reinhold. My parents are Josephine and Carl Reinhold. There were eight girls and four boys in our family, spanning sixteen years almost to the day. I am the youngest boy, with five younger sisters. We worked on the farm until we graduated from high school, then left home.
This autobiography brings together my memories, contributions from my brothers and sisters, family photographs, and related documents. It records our work, relationships, achievements, and struggles through childhood and adolescence.
Why I wrote it
I wrote Made In My Likeness when I was about fifty-three or fifty-four—the same age Mom was when she wrote Tears & Joy. In some ways, I wish I had written it at twenty-five. My pencil might have been sharper and the imagery clearer. Perhaps the additional thirty years brought more context, insight, and understanding.
During my time in the Marine Corps and later in undergraduate, graduate, and law school, I told people about life on our farm. They listened, though I sometimes doubted they believed me. They often said, “You should write a book.” I laughed, unsure whether they meant it.
Over the years, my brothers, sisters, and I talked about growing up, often laughing at our experiences—but not always. Shortly before Dad died, we were exchanging stories by email. We worried that individual stories, without a larger frame of reference, might leave readers with the wrong impression.
I had also asked my siblings to write their own accounts. Some did; some did not. Eventually, I realized I already had a great deal of material, along with the family photographs and documents. I needed to provide context and add my own thoughts. Even so, writing the book took a year.
A companion to Tears & Joy
Mom’s book tells the story from her perspective. Made In My Likeness offers the children’s perspective on growing up through age eighteen on our parents’ farm in Medford, Wisconsin. I included my siblings’ views where they contributed them, and Mom’s perspective appears from time to time.
I recommend reading the two books together. I do not think it matters which you read first. We grew up on that farm, and we have a point of view, too.
I hope future family members will come to know Mom, Dad, and their twelve children through our own words: our happiness, anger, passion, and achievements. Once the twelve of us are gone, piecing together names and dates will not be enough to explain our life on the farm. I want to keep our family’s spirit alive and together long after our ashes have been dispersed by the wind.
Read the book
Marlowe analysis
The following material presents the supplied Authors A.I. Marlowe assessment. Its descriptions and evaluative judgments are those of the assessment. It discusses major life events and the memoir’s ending.
Read the full analysis (contains spoilers)
Overview - Made In My Likeness is a raw, unflinching family memoir that chronicles the harsh realities of growing up on a Wisconsin dairy farm in the 1960s and early 1970s. Made In My Likeness possesses compelling authenticity and detailed firsthand accounts that provide valuable insight into mid-20th century farm life and family dynamics.
Story strengths:
- Authentic voice: The narrator's direct, unvarnished perspective creates genuine emotional connection with readers through honest storytelling.
- Vivid agricultural detail: The extensive descriptions of farm operations, equipment, and seasonal rhythms provide immersive historical documentation of dairy farming life.
- Complex family dynamics: The portrayal of relationships among twelve siblings creates a rich tapestry of personalities and interactions that feels genuine and compelling.
- Historical documentation: The work serves as valuable social history, capturing a specific time and place in American rural life with meticulous detail.
- Emotional honesty: The narrator's willingness to address difficult subjects including abuse, poverty, and family dysfunction with candor creates powerful impact.
Premise / Elevator Pitch - A teenaged son of a Wisconsin dairy farming family with twelve children navigates the brutal realities of farm life, family violence, and economic survival before ultimately escaping through military service.
Potential Readers - Made In My Likeness will primarily appeal to readers interested in rural American history, family dynamics, and stories of resilience in the face of adversity. Made In My Likeness possesses compelling authenticity and detailed firsthand accounts that provide valuable insight into mid-20th century farm life and family dynamics. The narrative demonstrates strong potential for readers seeking honest portrayals of challenging childhoods.
Archetype - Made In My Likeness is most similar to the Man in the Hole story archetype.
Genre & Story Type - Made In My Likeness is primarily a Family Memoir that chronicles the experiences of growing up in a large farming family in rural Wisconsin. Made In My Likeness also contains elements of the following:
- Historical Non-Fiction
- Social Documentary
- Rural Americana
- Coming-of-Age Narrative
- Agricultural History
- Family Saga
- Personal Testimony
- Working-Class Literature
Analysis of Major Elements - Readers of modern fiction expect stories to hit certain notes, particularly in genre fiction, that build on perennial story elements that harken back to ancient times.
- Hook: The opening chapter immediately establishes the parents' marriage and the acquisition of the farm.
- The opening: The opening chapters focus heavily on family history and farm acquisition.
- Relatable protagonist: Lawrence is portrayed as a capable, hardworking young man who faces unfair treatment and difficult circumstances, making him generally relatable.
- Inciting incident: In this story, the inciting incident appears to be the family's financial crisis and subsequent changes in family dynamics, though this occurs gradually rather than as a single decisive moment.
- Call to adventure: Lawrence shows some reluctance to leave farm life despite his conflicts with family authority, particularly regarding his desire to modernize farming operations.
- First plot point: The first plot point occurs when Lawrence takes on significant farming responsibilities as older siblings leave home, fundamentally changing his role from child to essential farm worker and setting up the central conflicts that will define his adolescence.
- Midpoint shift: The midpoint shift occurs when Lawrence physically confronts his mother in the kitchen and prevents her from beating him, fundamentally altering their relationship and marking his transition from victim to someone who will no longer accept abuse. This occurs at approximately 75% of the narrative, which is later than optimal for maximum impact.
- Second plot point: The second plot point is Lawrence's decision to enlist in the Marine Corps, which represents his choice to leave farm life permanently rather than continue the family tradition, setting up the final conflicts and resolution.
- Climax: The climax occurs when Lawrence actually leaves for Marine Corps service, representing the culmination of his journey from trapped farm child to independent young man. This climax should be satisfying to readers as it represents the logical conclusion of his character development and the resolution of his central conflict.
- Resolution: The story resolves with Lawrence's departure for the Marines, though it leaves many family relationships and future outcomes unresolved, which is appropriate for a memoir that focuses on the narrator's journey rather than providing closure for all family members.
Setting & World-Building -Made In My Likeness’s primary setting is the Reinhold family dairy farm in Wisconsin during the 1960s and early 1970s, which is depicted with exceptional detail and authenticity. The author provides comprehensive descriptions of farm buildings, equipment, seasonal rhythms, and agricultural practices that create an immersive sense of place. Secondary settings include the local school system, church, and small-town community that shaped the family's social environment.
The memoir excels at showing how the physical environment directly shaped daily life, work routines, and family relationships. The detailed descriptions of barn layout, milking procedures, and seasonal farm work help readers understand the demanding nature of agricultural life and how it influenced family dynamics. The author successfully uses setting to explain economic pressures, physical demands, and social isolation that affected the family.
However, the extensive technical descriptions sometimes overwhelm character development and emotional content, particularly in early chapters. The author occasionally provides more detail about farm equipment and procedures than necessary for understanding character motivation or plot development. Some setting descriptions could be streamlined to maintain focus on their impact on family relationships rather than serving as agricultural documentation.
The work succeeds in showing how the isolated rural setting contributed to family dysfunction by limiting outside intervention and social connections. The description of the farmhouse layout effectively demonstrates cramped living conditions and lack of privacy that intensified family conflicts. The seasonal agricultural rhythms provide natural structure for understanding how economic pressure and physical demands affected family relationships throughout the year.
Theme Analysis - The primary theme examines how economic pressure and family dysfunction can create cycles of violence and control that ultimately drive family members apart rather than binding them together. This theme is represented through the contrast between the family's public image as hardworking farmers and the private reality of physical abuse, emotional manipulation, and survival-focused relationships.
Secondary themes include:
- Individual agency versus family obligation - the tension between personal desires for independence and family loyalty and economic necessity.
- The cost of survival - how extreme circumstances can justify harsh methods and create lasting psychological damage.
- Generational cycles of trauma - the way abuse patterns perpetuate across generations despite good intentions.
Word count: The supplied assessment reports approximately 127,357 words for Made In My Likeness.
Content notes
Made In My Likeness contains extensive descriptions of child physical abuse including beatings with improvised weapons, threats of violence with knives, and psychological abuse including threats and intimidation. The memoir also addresses domestic violence between parents, economic hardship and family stress, dangerous working conditions involving farm equipment and animals, and detailed descriptions of violence toward animals. Additionally, Made In My Likeness contains discussions of educational neglect, social isolation, and family dysfunction that some readers may find disturbing.