Before They Disappear

About the Book

"Before They Disappear," a line from one of the author´s poems, recounts with humor and honesty the triumphs and sorrows of a life that spans much of the 20th century. From a three-bath, seven-bedroom house in Texas to a no-indoor-plumbing log cabin in the mountains of Northern New Mexico; from a sheltered childhood in a large and prosperous Jewish family to job hunting in the depths of the Great Depression; from New Deal liberal to several years in the Communist Party, this is a story that turns a rags-to-riches saga on its head.

About the Author

Born 1919 in El Paso, Texas, Mary L. R. Johnson was one of eight children. When the family moved to Los Angeles in 1936, she attended art school, then struggled to find work during the Depression. First job was with WPA's Federal Music Project followed by careers in Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Taos, New Mexico. Widowed after 25 years of marriage to Harold Johnson, she is now retired and resides permanently in Taos. A published poet, she volunteers as a teacher of poetry in local schools, and continues her long-time commitment to civil liberties and other progressive causes.