Southern

Horse, Flower, Bird: Stories

priyanka — Fri, 22 Oct 2010 08:00:00 +0000

Full of self-pity and self-loathing, Kate Bernheimer’s stories in Horse, Flower, Bird are not all of what being a girl is about. This is essential to remember, because fairytales, for all their unnecessarily flowery language and lurid fantasy, taught us all who to be. Fairytales, like the more adult fables, are instructional devices; stay away from the woods, do not talk to strangers, truth and love will prevail… As corny as they always are, they imbue us with an elementary moral compass. It was their function and their rationale, it is why parents allow their children to watch Sleeping Beauty a million times into the wee hours of the night. However Bertheimer's fairytales, while unconventional and enticing, do not convey any distinct moral messages. They are enchanting stories, but not fairytales; there is nothing to be learned from them. They are simply fantastical.

Each story reveals a different experience of the world. They convey a distinct approach to, and perception of, reality. One from the point of view of an autistic person, for example, another from that of a tulip bulb. Each of the central characters is distinguishably female, not only by the pronouns used but by the point of view on the universe—as a sister or daughter.

The experiences of the characters are amplified by the subtle touch of the Southern Gothic Bertheimer infuses into her tales: The ironic views of the love/hate relationship between sisters related in “A Star Wars Tale”, the sardonic liberation of the exotic dancer in “A Cageling Tale” and the supernaturally natural reality of autism in “A Garibaldi Tale.” It is worth remembering, however, in drawing the comparison, that Southern Gothic writings were often unforgiving of the women they portrayed.

Thinking of the Fall of the House of Usher, womanhood is not a flattering state of affairs; Berthimer's characters are perhaps closer to the women of The Glass Menagerie in character—not malicious but pitiable, and in this case pitied even by the author. You would not care to be in any of these stories, and worse, you do not learn from them as from their ostensible peers in either genre associated with them. They are well written little pieces, but they leave you reaching for Poe or the Brothers Grimm instead.

Written by: Elisheva Zakheim, October 22nd 2010

Just Don't Call Me Ma'am: How I Ditched the South, Forgot My Manners, and Managed to Survive My Twenties with (Most of) My Dignity Still Intact

admin — Thu, 10 Jun 2010 08:00:00 +0000

By Anna Mitchael

Seal Press

Who better, I ask you, than a Yankee like me who moved to Texas to review Just Don't Call Me Ma'am, a book by a Texas-girl who moved to the East? Considering how absolutely dead-on hysterical this “survival story” was, I couldn’t be happier about how fate brought us together.

The one thing Anna Mitchael didn’t like was people calling her "ma’am." Ma’am is reserved for your grandmother – or an elderly lady that a twenty-something man is holding the door for. But ma’am is unacceptable when aimed at a woman who swears (even though the crow’s feet might say differently) that she is a spring chicken in the prime of her life.

This wonderfully humorous romp begins with Anna making her way through a myriad of places before settling in Brooklyn. Now, New York City to a Texas woman is something of a high-fashion, fast-moving, cement and glass world of cynicism, and as the author states, it wasn’t a full-on romance for her right away. NYC was an acquired taste.

From a breakup, Anna brings us back to the first time love bloomed; she was twelve years old, gazing at the neighborhood boy with the bright blue eyes who was bound to be the next All-American quarterback playing at Texas stadium. All the girls were massively in love with the young man and wanted to spend the summer trying to get him to notice them. But Anna was tempted by the one person she loved more than life to leave town that one fateful summer… her Grandma.

Grandmothers always know the right bribe to dangle, in order to get their grandchildren to come for a visit, and Anna’s was no different. She bribed her granddaughter with the soap operas that she’d taped all year long, and Anna salivated at knowing that she could spend a couple of weeks in front of the television learning all about high-fashion makeup hounds who spoke with a hoity-toity accent and slept, well, with pretty much anybody, anywhere. Unfortunately, when the two week excursion of sin was over, Anna got a call from her friend to let her know that the guy had found himself a girlfriend. Life lesson learned.

From there, the author takes us on many journeys, offering knowledge about her Southern background, such as how the summers in Texas can actually kill; Southern desserts that Yankees just don’t understand, like bourbon balls; and, being a bridesmaid two hundred times and having to wrap yourself like a horrible Christmas package in pink taffeta and pretend to cry at the “I do” part. She lets us know that you can’t spit in Texas without hitting four hundred churches, and that vegetarianism is a much frowned-upon activity in the world of meat, poultry, and that white gravy. She brings us with her as she tries to adapt to mysteries like Brazilian waxing (which is so painful that I’m sure Hitler used this on his enemies at one time); trips to Las Vegas with the girls; and other topics I met head-on when words went from “get” to “git.”

I laughed out loud as she put a Southerner in Yankee-ville. It took me back to the times when a Texan smiled at me like I was a complete moron when I said “you guys” instead of “y’all.” And when I had, without thinking, told a Southern lady that I was from New England and her response was, “Really? You don’t sound British.”

What I realized while reading Just Don't Call Me Ma'am was that the accent that may frame our words, or whether our grandmothers cooked grits or mashed potatoes, simply doesn’t matter. In the end, we’re all people who are making our way through life the best way we can—whether in the backyard of our own upbringing or setting a course for adventure and moving into an unknown world.

I applaud Mitchael and hope that, like the great Erma Bombeck, she continues her foray into the wonderful – true – world of life’s humor. And, a special note to her, my Grandma was absolutely fantastic, too. It was so nice to read a story about one of the really great ladies the world had to offer. We become much better people when we are lucky enough to have those wonderful women in our past.

Cross-posted at Book Pleasures

Written by: Amy Lignor, June 10th 2010

American Thighs: The Sweet Potato Queens' Guide to Preserving Your Assets

admin — Thu, 18 Mar 2010 00:02:00 +0000

By Jill Conner Browne

Simon & Schuster

Jill Connor Browne, the self-proclaimed Sweet Potato Queen, is fifty-five and lives in Jackson, Mississippi. Her newest book, American Thighs, is an amusing but lightweight look at aging from an older Southern woman's point of view. She can be quite funny—I love the phrase “our inexorable trudge into Geezerdom”—though the topics she covers tend towards the trite: how a new hairstyle won't help you get a new job or boyfriend, how silly it is for her daughter and her college classmates to dress up in fancy gowns for football games, and so on.

The book is a collection of anecdotes from Browne's life and those of friends, acquaintances, and readers, and with each chapter on a distinct subject, it lacks a unifying theme. In “No Matter What Skin You're In,” she relays several stories dealing with the importance of skin care and visiting your dermatologist. She notes that attitudes towards skin damage prevention have changed noticeably from when she was younger, when it was most people's goal to get a deep tan in the summer. “For many hapless White people, this was and is simply a physical impossibility—not that they allowed the absolute absence of melanin in their skin to serve as any kind of deterrent or discouragement.”

Using a semi-bawdy humor that is sprinkled throughout the book, Browne also tells an amusing story of a man who went to the dermatologist to have a mole near his genitals removed. The nurse administering his shot said, “Just a little prick.” Poor Jud could only respond, “That's just adding insult to injury.”

Another chapter, “Howdy, Sports Fans,” contains a story about Browne and two female friends catching a big fish on a lake, the football game rituals at her daughter's college (Ole Miss), and an inspirational story of a sixty-eight-year-old woman who became the gold medalist in the long jump in the Senior Olympics, although she had never been a fitness buff before. It's a good representation of the mixtures of smartass observations and incredible and inspiring stories in the book. Sprinkled throughout the text are Browne's “Asset Preserving Tips,” which include such epiphanies as “karma does not like smug,” and emphasizing the importance of exercise for both your body and mind.

I was put off by Browne's penchant for capital letters and colloquial phrases. Yes, you may say “prolly” instead of “probably” when speaking, but in a written text, please use the correct term. And while selective capitalization can effectively highlight big ideas, when used five times on a page it loses its punch.

Browne has a bit of the “folksy wisdom” some find endearing in Sarah Palin, but Browne is a lot smarter and isn't afraid to swear when the occasion calls for it, which makes for a rather refreshing antidote to the Southern belle persona. Like many “advice” books that are really anecdote collections, American Thighs does not offer anything revolutionary. It contains stories that are by turns cute, amusing, and inspirational, and reading it will certainly add some lightheartedness to your day.

Written by: Karen Duda, March 17th 2010

Traveling With Pomegranates: A Mother-Daughter Story

admin — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 09:00:00 +0000

By Sue Monk Kidd, Ann Kidd Taylor

Viking

Traveling With Pomegranates tells the two parallel stories of its authors, a mother and daughter. The two women learn about themselves while abroad in Greece and France, as well as in their respective homes in South Carolina.

Ann comes to terms with her disappointment in receiving a rejection letter from the only affordable school offering a Master's degree in Greek history. During the year that follows, she is plagued with depression that follows this blow to her confidence. While traveling with her mother, Ann maps out her path as a writer, even though she had long resisted following in her mothers footsteps. (She didn't want to risk a lifetime of being compared to her mother.) Ann finds out she a unique knack for travel writing, which helps her to preserve her independent spirit.

Sue’s discoveries bring forth the ideas, imagery, and symbolism that formed her hugely successful book, The Secret Life of Bees. While Traveling With Pomegranates contains some of the same Southern magic and mystique as The Secret Life of Bees, it hits a little closer to home for the average reader. These women’s lives are at once ordinary and extraordinary, but the way they tell their tale of reconnecting with the energizing spirit of Greece is inspiring.

With Greek mythology guiding their tour, Sue and Ann are each profoundly influenced Persephone, Demeter, and various portrayals of Mary they find in various places: a cave, cathedrals, a convent in the mountains, the coast of South Carolina, books, the tiny pomegranate charms they wear. This modern mom-and-daughter travel story tells of the magic of Greece, which the pair find in odd coincidences and signs they encounter. The magic for the reader is in their scintillating descriptions of the country's architecture, taxi drivers, performers, and lovers.

The connection between these two is exceptional. The cohesion of their experiences and concern for each other creates a mutual understanding and emotional response to their trip that all of us an learn from. Traveling With Pomegranates imparts wisdom in its perspectives on accepting rejection, coping with depression, managing life changes after marriage, settling into menopause, and seizing the day.

Written by: Heather Irvine, February 23rd 2010

The Widow of the South

admin — Sat, 09 Jan 2010 01:00:00 +0000

By Robert Hicks

Grand Central Publishing

Though it’s based in reality, Robert Hicks’ work of historical fiction The Widow of the South is an incredibly long, often meandering novel that failed to rouse me in any real way. And that’s something I’m truly sorry to report.

A few years ago, I became interested in all things Southern. My boyfriend, born and raised in Alabama, is like this treasure trove of lovely, unfamiliar things, and the area in which he was raised never fails to fascinate me, a girl who was born and raised in Los Angeles. The American South is this incredibly multi-faceted, bizarre, segmented country of its own, and I think its bloody, checkered past is greatly responsible for both its beauty and savagery. Needless to say, I was very excited to read Hicks' Deep South tale of a woman named Carrie McGavock, who had 1,500 Confederate soldiers buried in her back yard.

The opening scene of the novel takes place in 1894 and is perhaps the most telling of McGavock and what she has become; she spends her days almost obsessively walking the aisles of her personal cemetery with her former slave, wearing the same black dress she’s worn out of mourning for countless years, checking to make sure everyone is buried where they’re supposed to be. After McGavock’s home, the Carnton Plantation, was taken over by Confederate soldiers nearly thirty years prior, it’s safe to say that she was never the same again.

I’d be very interested in a novel that took the pains to describe exactly what kind of woman it would take to muster the strength and heart to dig up the bodies of these soldiers--whose original graves were going to be plowed over--and rebury them in her own backyard. There is a real sense of dignity and respect in this well-researched story, so I was disappointed—but not surprised—when a love story emerged that detailed the relationship between McGavock and a soldier named Zachariah Cashwell during the bloodiest hours of the war.

Frankly, I hate how novels, movies, and television shows of all kinds feel this overwhelming, almost obsessive need to throw a love story into any story featuring an interesting, strong, or otherwise compelling female character. Sure, love happens and the fact that McGavock and Cashwell were able to fall in love during the madness that was the Civil War is compelling in its own way, but in The Widow of the South it almost seems to cheapen McGavock’s strong character. The entire novel features lengthy passages of beautifully written prose, but sometimes it’d simply be nice to see a woman’s story stand on its own... and perhaps for a little less than 551 pages.

Written by: Tina Vasquez, January 8th 2010

The Crowning Glory of Calla Lily Ponder

admin — Mon, 24 Aug 2009 23:56:00 +0000

By Rebecca Wells

Harper Collins

_"This world is made up of stories—every person's story, those that are hidden, and those that are outright and clear. This is the story of one named for a flower." _

The Crowning Glory of Calla Lily Ponder is the story of a young girl's experience growing up in 1950s Louisiana. Rebecca Wells, author of Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood, creates a powerful new heroine in Calla Lily Ponder. From an early age, Calla Lily realizes she has inherited her mother's unique gift of healing through beauty and she resolves to continue the tradition by opening her own hair salon. Calla Lily possesses the ability to transform a woman through her hair, or as her mother calls it her "crowning glory."

Throughout the course of her journey, Calla Lily copes with first love, her mother's battle with cancer, and life in New Orleans. Nurtured by her small town upbringing, Calla Lily faces every obstacle with fierce strength and unwielding determination. She culls her strength from various sources, most notably her beloved mother "M'Dear," the ethereal Moon Lady, and Louisiana herself. This strength not only drives Calla Lily towards accomplishing her goal but also carries her through periods of heartbreak and crippling grief.

Rebecca Wells allows the reader to travel to Louisiana through Calla Lily, and by the end of the novel, you feel you have shared an intimate conversation with each of her characters. Never having been to Louisiana myself, this book made me want to buy a plane ticket and escape to Calla Lily's magical community, La Luna. My only criticism of the novel is that the story line at times feels somewhat familiar and predictable. Regardless, The Crowning Glory of Calla Lily Ponder is a great summer read, and I hope Rebecca Wells brings us more from this impressive heroine and her circle of friends.

Written by: Samara Sousa, August 24th 2009

Once You Go Back: A Novel

admin — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 09:48:00 +0000

By Douglas A. Martin

Seven Stories Press

Once You Go Back is a poignant and semi-autobiographical novel about a young man and his quest for identity as he grows up in a dysfunctional working-class household. While Seven Stories Press is most widely known for its books on politics, human rights, and social and economic justice, the publisher continues to champion literature; Once You Go Back does not prevail this philosophy. Martin's highly poetic writing style is an example of high-brow literature in its prime.

The novel begins with a short chapter titled "A Tall One," which basically sets up the tone and scenario of the protagonist speaking to his sister, which he does throughout the entire book. Martin's New Narrative style of writing provides an interesting approach stylistically and experimentally, but sometimes tends to be a difficult read to due to the lack of dialogue in the novel.

The novel follows the protagonist from the beginning of his childhood all the way up to high school when the family moves to the South. Still very poor, it is evident that the main character is very embarrassed about their poverty: "The poverty was embarrassing. We've started to know already we weren't going to be different. Every day there, we'd become more like where we were now."

I would recommend Once You Go Back if you are looking to read a poetically-written or New Narrative style book. As I mentioned earlier, there is not much dialogue so at times it really is almost as if you are reading one long poem. Also, there is a lot of sadness in this family so this is not the most uplifting book. However, it is an interesting read, and definitely worth learning how the protagonist and his family are able to deal with the challenges they face throughout their lives.

Written by: MK Matson, June 29th 2009

Little Giant of Aberdeen County

admin — Thu, 04 Jun 2009 17:11:00 +0000

By Tiffany Baker

Grand Central Publishing

The Little Giant of Aberdeen County is Tiffany Baker's debut novel. Wow! How does one follow this work with another novel?

The story is set in rural Aberdeen County, where several generations of doctors named Robert Morgans live and practice. Truly Plaice was a baby that stretched her mother to epic proportions. The town watched Mrs. Plaice's pregnancy with relish. Most of the people in town placed bets on the size and weight of the baby. Every one agreed it would be a boy. Even Truly's mother believed she was carrying a son, but she died before Dr. Morgan can tell her it is a girl.

Truly's father blamed her for the death. He was ill-equipped to take care of his little daughter and a new baby. Serena Jane is what all fathers would want in a girl: pretty, proper, and quiet, the perfect big sister. Truly takes on her role as the town's outcast while Serena Jane becomes May Queen. This draws the attention of Bob Bob Morgan, the young doctor. His attraction to Serena Jane sets off a chain of events that changes Aberdeen County.

As Truly grows larger and larger, she also becomes the target of Bob Bob's attention in a very different way than her sister. When Truly gets her hands on a century old shadow book written by Aberdeen's white witch, life begins to look up. Truly's future changes. She is faced with choices such as: revenge or moral duty.

While reading this novel, I was reminded of a Flannery O'Connor story. The flavor of these characters and their realistic dialogue made me see the small southern town where I grew up. Once I began Truly's story, I couldn't stop. The author surprised me at each turn and never became predictable. Tiffany Baker's voice is original and exciting.

Written by: Ann Hite, June 4th 2009

First Lady of the Confederacy: Varina Davis's Civil War

admin — Tue, 26 May 2009 23:57:00 +0000

By Joan E. Cashin

Belknap Press

Before reading First Lady of the Confederacy: Varina Davis's Civil War, I didn’t even know to whom Jefferson Davis, the president of the Confederate States of America from 1861-1865, was married. The book is certainly educational, and was interesting to read about the war from a Southern perspective rather than the Union point of view I received in my U.S. history courses.

Most readers of this lengthy biography on Varina Howell Davis will come away with the impression that her husband was a jerk, although she seems to have loved him nonetheless. He was quick-tempered and held too many grudges, and sadly these same faults were apparent in his second marriage. His first wife, Sarah Knox Taylor, the daughter of President Zachary Taylor, died from malaria shortly after marrying Jefferson. He and Varina wed ten years later, in 1845. In some ways Varina Davis was ahead of her time: she was better-educated and better-read than most women in the American South. Combined with her lukewarm support of secession from the United States and of the Confederacy as a nation, her educated demeanor did not endear her to many Southerners. Although Davis was against the war, she supported the institution of slavery. Cashin substantiates this claim with extensive documentation from Davis' private letters, which she compares Davis’ somewhat more confident public statements in support of the 'new nation'.

Cashin does an excellent job of showing Davis had considerable ties to the Northern states. She had many relatives and friends there that she made during her time at a finishing school in Philadelphia and when her husband served in the U.S. Senate and they lived in Washington, DC. Whatever her reasons, she never fully supported the Confederate cause, and continued correspondence with friends in the Union states during the war, which was illegal under Confederate law.

The most interesting aspect of the book is its description of Varina’s life after her husband’s death in 1889. Finally free to do as she pleased, she moved to New York City, where she remained for the rest of her life (she died in 1906), despite the protestations of groups, such as the Daughters of the Confederacy, and Southerners in general. She supported herself through occasional columns for newspapers and formed an unexpected friendship with Julia Grant, the widow of Ulysses S. Grant, who headed the Union army to which the Confederate army surrendered at the war’s end.

The book’s main drawback is its dry, academic tone and repetition of key facts, particularly Davis’s wavering support of the Confederacy and the fact that Jefferson’s professed love for her became more word than deed during the post-war years of their relationship. The book weighs in at 416 pages, with over 311 pages of biography and 105 of meticulous notes. Recommend primarily to hard-core Civil War junkies, the book demonstrates that Varina Howell Davis’ life was constricted not only by her spouse’s politics, but also by the mores of the time.

Written by: Karen Duda, May 26th 2009

Girls in Trucks

admin — Wed, 16 Apr 2008 03:04:00 +0000

By Katie Crouch

Little Brown and Company

Not many books have been able to capture the social chasm between northern and southern women quite as well as Katie Crouch’s new novel, Girls in Trucks, has. Meet Sarah Walters, a southern debutante born and raised in South Carolina. Upon entering college, Sarah flees north, separating herself from all that she has ever known. Sarah soon discovers how different people, men in particular, in the north are; they are harder, flightier, and often times quick to forget about another person. Thus begins Sarah Walter’s descent into self-discovery. Leaving behind a life of luxury, etiquette, and old money, Sarah sets out to forge her own path.

Sarah is in every way the self-proclaimed independent woman. She is educated, single, and career-oriented. The only glitch in her character, however, is that she constantly allows herself to play the victim. From the time the reader meets her as a teenager to thirty-one-year-old Sarah, she constantly seeks out men who seem to destroy her spirit.

She meets the apathetic Brett in college and immediately beds down with him. She is later confused as to why he leaves her so quickly and decides the best way to heal her broken heart is through other boys and mixed-drinks. Max is introduced into her life when Sarah is in her early twenties. They have a rather turbulent relationship, and Sarah allows herself to become a sexual deviant for Max’s own sick and twisted fantasies. Even toward the end of the book when she is a mother, Sarah does not settle for something safe. She does not settle for a good man. Instead, she compares herself to a heroin junkie, always looking for the next fix; her drug is love, and it is that same thing that has dictated her mess of a life.

Crouch does a wonderful job creating a protagonist the reader can both root for and mother. Sarah stumbles her way through life, sometimes naively and blindly following her heart. Yet deep inside she is a strong, logical woman, quite capable of being her own knight in shining armor.

In it’s entirety, _Girls in Trucks _is a thoroughly endearing novel with deliciously rich characters. The course Sarah’s life runs keeps the reader both attentive and empathetic to both her and her loved ones. The novel is ultimately a love story—not between a man and a woman, but with one’s self.

Written by: Stephanie Weaver, April 15th 2008

Just One More: A Musical Tribute to Larry Brown

admin — Mon, 25 Jun 2007 00:15:00 +0000

By Various Artists

Bloodshot Records

Wow, this musical tribute to Larry Brown keeps your feet tapping and your mind working. These songs, by artists Brown admired, put you in the passenger seat of his little truck as you drive through the small and friendly neighborhood in the South. Spending much of his life as a firefighter, Larry Brown wrote and finally struck gold in 1988 with a collection of stories called Facing the Music. As his writing continued, he became well-known as a Southern writer of literature. His love for music equaled his passion for writing. After Brown suffered a fatal heart attack, producer and pal Tim Lee contacted artists to create this musical tribute to a man considered a friend to most.

Listening to the album, you feel the flowing and engaging wondrous moments of songs that hit the sweet spot – that is what it's all about. With 12 previously unreleased tracks, Just One More contains quality tracks by Brown’s friends including Greg Brown, Caroline Herring, North Mississippi Allstars and Robert Earl Keen. The American Roots strand interweaves the genres of blues, folk and salt of the earth lyrics — seeming much like Brown's characters, who were honest and pained, but eternally real. As a serious music fan, Brown worked with several artists at some point to live out his musical dreams. The final track called "Don't Let the Door" presents both Brown and another southern novelist, Clyde Edgarton combining musical talents.

The underlying feeling of the music offers solace and, after it ended, I listened again. Heartfelt and warm, lyrically pleasing and honest, Larry Brown feels like he could be my buddy too. At the end of the disc, I wanted more music, a beer, a cigarette and a seat on a patio where I could watch people and smile at them.

Written by: Carolyn Espe, June 24th 2007

Uncoded Woman

admin — Sat, 24 Mar 2007 14:10:00 +0000

By Anne-Marie Oomen

Milkweed Editions

Anne-Marie Oomen’s first book of poetry, Uncoded Woman, is a narrative collection centering around a displaced Southern woman finding meaning and direction in a resort town on Lake Michigan.

The “uncoding” in the title refers to a persistent theme throughout the book. The prologue very simply defines the International Code of Signals—the maritime form of communication that involves flags and pennants with shapes. Each poem title is given in both its code signal form as well as its internationally recognized meaning. While a somewhat esoteric pretext for the poems that follow, we are thrust into the life of Bead and her boyfriend/husband, Barn, who fish, hunt, curse and steal as means of survival.

Bead’s voice is strong, yet vulnerable. Although unclear what, it is evident that she is running from something, finding inadequate but needed respite in a town usually overrun with tourists. Throughout the narrative, Oomen reveals glimmers of Bead’s past: death, flight, her yearning for Southern food and customs, her perpetual fear of water, possible sexual violation and definite violence.

As with most poetry, the text is extremely dense, with a myriad of metaphors, both sacred and secular. It shows a kind of Dorothy Allison imagery mixed with a Rita Dove skill for richness and brevity. The references to the “codes” are no novelty or hook; they pull each story together, and it is abundantly clear how each imagined communiqué relates to the “down home” nature of the text. Oomen exercises an immense restraint in depicting her characters and scenery where a lesser poet would have been tempted to fall back onto stereotypes or predictable tropes. It reads earthy and vernacular, yet the verse is nothing short of virtuosic.

In fact, the virtuosity itself was both the most enjoyable and most distracting aspect of the book. At certain points, the soul of the story becomes overly subdued in the beauty of the language. While it is clear that Oomen attempts to convey the inner conflict of Bead’s life, somehow ending the book with a question seems to take away from the immense strength and drive to survive that the reader is invited to witness throughout. I cannot help but wonder whether Oomen was over-strategizing at this point, trying not to come off as too pushy or trite.

Regardless of this small critique, the book is a strong piece of poetry that I would recommend to anyone searching for an excellent portrait of a Southern/Midwest woman trying to survive.

Written by: k. terumi shorb, March 24th 2007