Episode 126: Eva-Lis Wuorio: "You Can't Take It With You"

Uncle Basil had heard all the words they called him because he wasn't as deaf as he made out. He knew he was a mangy, stingy, penny-pinching screw, scrimp, scraper, pinchfist, hoarder, and curmudgeon (just to start with). There were other words, less gentle, he'd also heard himself called. He didn't mind. What galled him was the oft repeated warning, "You can't take it with you." After all, it was all his.

Eva-Lis Wuorio' s work was principally for children and young adults. “You Can’t Take It With You” is a cautionary tale about the dangers of greed and the idea that material wealth is ultimately transient. It is from a collection of short stories called Escape If You Can.