Chapters 5 and 6, The Old Testament, The New Testament Summary and Analysis

Ruth explains that her father was a traveling preacher. He worked under contracts with Jewish congregations. After a year, the synagogue wouldn't want him anymore and they would have to move to a new place. As her family moved from place to place, they carted all of their belongings on buses. They attracted a lot of attention because they were poor and Jewish and her mother was crippled.

When Ruth is a teenager they move to Suffolk, Virginia, where her father opens a grocery store. They are generally disliked because they are Jewish. Ruth's father sexually abuses her, and she is always afraid of him.

Poverty remains a theme throughout Ruth's life, but the family she creates has a much different feel to it than the family...