Tuesday, January 02, 2024
Flying the Mississippi River 2024
Wednesday, February 03, 2016
Secret Garden (copy)
I grew up in
a neighborhood of all boys. My cousin, Sheila, lived three blocks north and my
friend from school was one block south, but she only wanted to play indoors. Ferrell,
my older brother, sometimes allowed me to tag along. But, more often than not,
he would ditch me the first chance he could.
Until I was
old and strong enough to make my own friends, I spent a lot of time alone. My
mother used to tell everyone that I could entertain myself. It might be hours
before she would hear a peep from me. She said, “Like the dog, I came around
when it was supper time.”
What they
did not know is I had a secret stash. It was a stack of 26 coloring books and a
set of 64 Crayola crayons with a built in sharpener. I kept them on the bottom rung of my bookcase
in a neat stack with my favorites hidden at the bottom and the least liked
sitting on top. If friends came over, I could easily draw off the top and not
feel bad about missing out on coloring those pages. The good stuff remained
intact at the bottom.
Lo and
behold, imagine my joy when I saw my first coloring book for adults! I was
hunting around in a gift shop for a baby present two months ago when a set of
magic markers in a Roy G. Biv arrangement caught my eyes. Looking closer, I saw
two coloring books behind the markers. One was a collection of abstracts and
the other animals. Both were intricately sliced
into small shapes ready to be colored by expert hands, not fat children fingers.
I went home in a daze. It was mindboggling that I did not leave with the
treasures. I thought about them overnight. Dreamed really. With Christmas a couple
of days away I justified the purchase and headed back to the store only to find
someone else had bought them.
I got back in the car and drove blindly to Southaven. Now, I was on a
mission to get my mother some coloring books for Christmas. I had taken the
treat off my plate and added it to hers since I was wasting fuel to get the goods.
Also, I had to make a wise decision. My mother deserved a bottom of the stack
coloring book, not a flimsy grocery store top layer one.
After hours
of consulting the internet and flipping through about 15 different books, I
settled on a champ. Secret Garden: An Inky Treasure Hunt and Coloring Book by
Johanna Basford is the Mohammad Ali of coloring books. It has sold over 2
million copies worldwide and is being blamed for the adult coloring book phenomenon.
I handed it
to my mother with the expectancy of great joy. She handed me a package shaped oddly
enough like what I just handed her. We ripped open our packages to find color
markers and the same Secret Garden in our hands. Who was the happier?
Wednesday, January 20, 2016
The Last Season (copy)
The prologue begins, “It was the first Ole Miss game that
season in Jackson, and I’d been looking forward to it all summer.” Stuart
Stevens was 10-years-old when he memorized the Rebel football roster. The list
was taped to the wall above his bed where he could go over their names before
bedtime.
“I knew the names of every starting Rebel as though they
were family members: the all-American quarterback Glynn Griffing; the running
back Lou Guy; the fullback and linebacker Buck Randall. I knew them all. The
way the radio announcers described them was how I thought of the Rebels:
‘rocket-armed’ Griffing; ‘swivel-hipped’ Guy; ‘bruising’ Randall. They were
like titles bestowed upon knights competing on fields of battle.”
The year was 1962 and Stevens was reminiscing over the game
his father took him to at Memorial Stadium in Jackson, Miss. He remembers his
mother fussing about wearing a jacket. He remembers his father holding his hand
as they walked in a crowd to the stadium. He remembers the Rebel flags
everywhere and an agitated fan yelling from a car, “Go to hell, Kentucky!”
It was the start of what Stevens called a “perfect season in
that most imperfect year.” That year, Johnny Vaught coached a winning streak
and was awarded the SEC Coach of the Year. It was also the same year James
Meredith walked onto the Oxford campus flanked by federal marshals to become
the first black to enroll in classes.
Political strategist to Mitt Romney, Stuart Stevens, suffered
his first ever loss to an otherwise perfect career. Fast forward to 2012, as he
walks slowly down the hall of the hotel to tell the Romney family they just
lost to President Obama. The walls began to move in as he senses his own
pending loss. How much time will he have left with his 95-year-old dad and 86-year-old
mother?
The next day Stuart states, “I woke up at the age of 60 and
realized that what I wanted most in the world was one more season. With my
father and football and the Ole Miss Rebels. It didn’t need to be a perfect
season. One last season would be perfect enough.”
Stuart Stevens’ book, “The Last Season: A Father, a Son, and
a Lifetime of College Football,” is a must read for any Ole Miss fan. Each
chapter is a chronological step in the 2013 “last” season Stuart spends with
his dad. Flashbacks abound as Stuart navigates the treacherous crowd with a
much slower but alert father. You will find yourself smiling with the familiar
Ole Miss fans as they go out of their way to help, and you will laugh at a
father whose 95-year-old wit is fresh.Wednesday, January 13, 2016
A House Divided
Monday night
was host to the game of a lifetime in the Moran house. The SEC championship between
Clemson and Alabama put Pete and me at opposite goal posts. I was proud of
Clemson for the undefeated season, but Pete was over the moon. He graduated
from Clemson with a bachelor in economics back in 1979. I gathered a master’s
degree at Alabama in 2005.
We sat in
our respective corners as the game began. I drank coke out of my Bama glass and
he sipped his diet drink from a Tiger tumbler. Clemson would score and he would
do a little tiger dance. Bama would score and I would demurely smile. It was
rather a quiet game for the first half.
After the
break, Pete wanted to make a little wager. The man hates Krystal burgers and I
love them. I have a hard time sitting still at Cracker Barrel, but he loves the
joint. If the Crimson Tide rolls over the Tigers, I can have Krystal whenever I
wish for a year, and he the same for the Cracker. Now, we were disagreeing and
throwing imaginary yellow flags at every play.
This bashing
of heads over a football game is rare in our family, but here in Mississippi it
happens all the time. Mississippians are serious about their football and it is
not unusual to have a household with more than one Ole Miss and State fan in
the family.
“A House
Divided” is a new picture book for children that reflects the conflict of
parents who support opposite Mississippi Universities. The book opens, “Long
ago, in Mississippi, a crazy decision was made to create two schools in this
tiny state that still remain today.” Next to the prose is a beautiful
watercolor of the state and the two schools with flags a flying.
By the
second page, the author, Emily Ruff Witcher, is unable to hide her loyalty.
“The first of these was THE University or Ole Miss, as it’s fondly referred.
The mascot is the Rebel and ‘Hotty Toddy’ is the cheer that’s heard.” She
continues, “Thirty years later another was formed State College, it once was
named. And after much decision making, Mississippi State Bulldogs became its
claim to fame.”
The
illustrator, Joanna Keith, graduated from Mississippi State in 2007. Her
watercolors are vibrant and depicts both teams equally. The sister in the story
sports both cheerleading outfits and the little boy holds an Ole Miss football
in one hand and a Mississippi State cowbell in the other.
Emily Ruff
Witcher has written an engaging 38 page book filled with the spirit of fair
play. She is a 2002 graduate of Ole Miss and married a 2004 Bulldog. They
currently live in Madison, Mississippi with their young daughter and son.
Wonder what they wager during games?
Wednesday, January 06, 2016
Resolve to Read, Mississippi
A little
over ten years ago, I started writing book talks for The Southern Reporter, a local newspaper based in Sardis, MS. I had
graduated from the University of Alabama in 2005 with a masters in library
science and really wanted to incite people to read - especially those Mississippians
who shared the notorious position of being the least literate people in the
United States.
I would like
to say that levels of reading have improved and I can go about doing other
things. I do not need to share every book read and encourage others to read.
Y’all are reading and sharing just fine without me. But...
“According
to a study conducted in late April (2013) by the U.S. Department of Education
and the National Institute of Literacy, 32 million adults in the U.S. can't
read. That's 14 percent of the population. 21 percent of adults in the U.S.
read below a 5th grade level, and 19 percent of high school graduates can't
read.
The current
literacy rate isn't any better than it was 10 years ago. According to the
National Assessment of Adult Literacy (completed most recently in 2003, and
before that, in 1992), 14 percent of adult Americans demonstrated a "below
basic" literacy level in 2003, and 29 percent exhibited a
"basic" reading level.”
As I hang my
head low in despair, I want to think tomorrow will be a better day. I want to
think people will spontaneously rush to the nearest public library and check
out 20 books. Some for them to read, some to share with their children, some to
help them grow a garden in the Spring, some to fix that dang car, and some to
get them back on the road to financial success.
With a New
Year comes new resolutions, and I resolve to make 2016 the Year of Reading! So
much of a good life is wrapped up in reading good books. Sharing thoughts from
a book can help us all understand how and why people do what they do. Books
make you smarter, and I would rather my neighbor enjoy intelligent thoughts about
improving our community than wallowing in the ends and out of a Kardashian.
My New Year
resolution, and this is crazy, is to make Mississippians read! I will be
telling you about great books and I dare each and every one of you to read
these great books and books similar to them. After reading, go out and share
your thoughts with others. I dare YOU to make Mississippians read, too!
Wednesday, July 08, 2015
The Wright Brothers (copy)
“The problem of flight” was the phrase used often by
the Wright brothers. While others were out trying to solve it, the brothers
thought about it. All family members were involved in the thought process, too.
Baby sister, Katharine, complained that “the problem” consumed the boys and she
wished they would socialize more.
Thoughts varied such as balloonist were not true
pilots. Ascending because one’s craft was lighter than the surrounding air was hardly
a skilled flight. The pilots did not control the airship but floated about as
the wind wished. The boys would have to look elsewhere for concrete evidence of
flight.
The brothers suspected current flight enthusiasts were
throwing money at the problem void of scientific facts. Wings, blades, wires,
wood, etc. were paced together in arrangements that people thought would work
based on bird shapes. It was after meeting Octave Chanute that their suspicions
were confirmed. He could not produce any papers to back up his designs.
The brothers were baffled the most by men willing to
strap their bodies to an untested machine for the sake of the problem. Many
times these same men would be memorialized a week later and the obituary wrapped
around fish, but nothing was gained. If the boys were to risk their necks,
somewhere there better be proof of the possible.
It was Wilbur that insisted the problem could be
solved. He turned to the experts – birds – spending hours observing their
patterns in the sky. He went to the Dayton library and checked out as many
books on birds that he could find. He read, watched, and thought about the physics
of flight.
Wilbur’s eye for the larger birds such as hawks,
eagles and albatross lead him to solve the problem. Birds are not lighter than
air thus must provide lift and thrust with their powerful wings and legs. Birds
also do not float midair but turn, climb and descend. He noticed the birds
using their wings and tails in combination or apart to make directional and
height changes.
For Wilbur, the key ingredient for flight was wind. “No
bird soars in a calm,” stated Wilbur. It was only after many hours in the air
that Wilbur changed his mind realizing wind could be generated with more power
from the props.
Although, we know Orville was the first to fly, it was
thanks to his big brother. Wilbur, as you will find out from David McCullough’s
new book The Wright Brothers, was a genius. Delightful reading, I now follow
the Mississippi Kite through the sky with greater admiration.
Wednesday, June 03, 2015
The Boys in the Boat (copy)
It was lost or so it seemed. The 1939 Olympic gold
medal for winning the eight-oared rowing competition was placed somewhere in
the house for safe keeping. The one who hid it also forgot where, and after
looking all over the family gave it up for lost. Years later, while remodeling the
home, workmen found it in the attic insulation. Apparently, a squirrel had
taken a liking to the shimmering gold and brought it back to the nest.
The day author Daniel James Brown heard this story was
the day he had a revelation. He was visiting Joe Rantz for another matter altogether.
Joe invited him to discuss Angus Hay Jr. an old friend and son to the main
character in Daniel’s recent book. The same book that Judy, Joe’s daughter, was
reading to him aloud when Daniel appeared at the door.
Joe was dying. He laid on a recliner with his oxygen
tank at arm’s length and extended a frail thin hand to Daniel. With soft 40-50s
jazz in the background they had a nice conversation then it turned into Joe
remembering his own life. Daniel indulged him, but then the story took hold
“His voice was reedy, fragile, and attenuated almost
to the breaking point. From time to time he faded into silence. Slowly, though,
with cautious prompting from his daughter, he began to spin out some of the
threads of his life story. Recalling his childhood and his young adulthood
during the Great Depression, he spoke haltingly but resolutely about a series
of hardships he had endured and obstacles he had overcome, a tale that, as I
sat taking notes, at first surprised and then astonished me.”
With joy, Joe spoke of his learning to row and the
teammates that shared his daily routine. He reminisced about the cold mornings
under gray skies and above the steely waters of Lake Washington. He retold
Daniel the feeling when all rowed in unison for a win. But, when he mentioned “the
boat” his eyes could not hold back all the water pulled by the oars of time.
Daniel recalled, “I shook Joe’s hand again and told
him I would like to come back and talk to him some more, and that I’d like to
write a book about his rowing days. Joe grasped my hand again and said he’d
like that, but then his voice broke once more and he admonished me gently, ‘But
not just about me. It has to be about the boat.’”
Daniel James Brown’s new book, The Boys in the Boat:
Nine Americans and Their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics is
worthy of your time. Like the squirrel in the attic, you will want to hoard
this book and the stories within. Oh, and it is about the boat.
Wednesday, April 22, 2015
Monument Road (copy)
Leonard Self made a promise and today he must honor
it. His lovely wife, Inetta, died on this date one year ago and before passing
she made him promise he would carry out her request. She asks that he take her
ashes and toss them over the side of Artists Point cliff. He remembered her
saying, “Me and Jesus’ll be watching, and I want to float for a while.”
The cremation was a little out of character for
Inetta. She believed along with all the members of Shower of Blessings Holiness
Temple that the body should be laid to rest in preparation for the Rapture. The
pastor put Leonard at ease by stating, “Inetta’s passed all the Lord’s tests,
so I’m sure the Lord can handle hers.”
Why wait a year? This bothered Leonard. Inetta said it
was to make sure she was sufficiently “good and dry.” He thought maybe it was
more like time to find a wife or Jesus. Inetta was always up to something. It
was in her character to hope for these thing, but also in his character to not.
In preparation of this event, Leonard has spent the
year giving away most of his belongings. It was easy and no one seemed to
notice since he was giving away Inetta’s at the same time. The things he had
left were either for the trip or to be given away en route.
The truck had just enough gas to get Leonard to the
cliff. He had extra kibble to give his neighbor Winnie for seeing after his dog,
Stitches. Another neighbor, Vaughn Hobart, will get a surprise with his mail.
Leonard left a set of keys to the house and the title to his truck in the box.
The day is set in motion, but Leonard is running ahead
of schedule. He wants to time the event at sunset. He thought his haircut would
take longer. He gave away his mirror two months ago and can only imagine the
curled up mess he will be presenting to the town barber, Dave Grantham.
Leonard also made a promise to Inetta, although he
never spoke of it. He promised when he saw her again it was with a clean head
of hair. The only thing that annoyed Inetta was a mess of unruly hair. He
teased Dave about not having to cut the crop circle that sat high on his head while
giving him the reverse tree line special.
Released in 2013, Monument Road is the first novel
by Charlie Quimby. Not his first attempt at writing though, Quimby has written
plays, then criticized plays, and now makes individuals sound good for Harvard
Business Review. You will love how he turns a phrase.
Wednesday, April 15, 2015
Dead Wake (copy)
May 7, 2015, marks the 100th anniversary of
the tragic sinking of the Lusitania off the coast of Ireland by a German
submarine torpedo. Eric Larson has written, Dead Wake: The Last Crossing of
the Lusitania, that revisits the tragedy that pulled us into the first World
War
Dead Wake will not disappoint. Larson keeps the stories short within the 353 pages alternating
from three different perspectives. For example, one chapter is about the Lusitania. The following chapter discusses the
German submarines fearfully known as U-Boats. Then the third chapter talks
about Room 40 where code breakers worked to decipher German transmissions.
The Lusitania was known as one of the greyhounds in
the Dreadnought era of transatlantic crossings. A member of the Cunard Fleet that
included the Umbria, Etruria, Carpathia and Queen Mary to name a few, the
Lusitania was a luxurious superliner capable of 26 knots. Called Lucy for
short, the beloved ship successfully completed 201 Atlantic crossings by April
1915.
Walther Schweiger was the German captain of
Unterseeboot – 20 (U-20) that sent the Lusitania to its watery grave. According
to the book, the U -20 was 210 feet long, 20 feet wide, and 27 feet tall. The
living space was a cylinder in the middle while two cylinders on each side were
filled or drained of water depending on the desired depth.
Because submarines lost contact with their land base,
the captains were allowed to make decisions without orders from superiors. It
was said a U-boat took on the personality of the captain. Schweiger was an
ambitious happy man caring enough to aide in the rescue attempts after
torpedoing a helpless ship. U-20 was known as a happy ship.
In room 40 of the Admiralty, an old building
overlooking the Thames, a group of code breakers deciphered the day’s
transmissions from U-boats once they entered the North Sea. The Germans plotted
the seas around England and Ireland in 6 mile squares. When chatting sub to
sub, captains would indicate where they were by a number that represented one
of the squares. Room 40 knew exactly where each U-boat was since submarines
stayed in continuous contact.
As I write this, Dead Wake is number one on the New
York Times bestseller list having shot to that coveted slot from its release
date of March 10. Four weeks on the list and four weeks at number one is a feat
all authors aspire to achieve. It is certainly a tribute to Larson’s writing
talent and readers will find themselves enthralled.
Wednesday, April 08, 2015
The Buried Giant (copy)
Axl and Beatrice are being denied a simple flame to
keep them comfortable at night. They live in a mud cave of many chambers on the
side of a hill amongst their small Briton community. Described as looking
similar to a rabbit warren, the elderly couple have the smallest room. They
seem to remember having lived in the center of the community, but now are at
the end with the room connected to the community and the outside.
Beatrice hardly ever complains, but she feels the lack
of a candle is disrespectful. Axl has intervened a couple of times when she
brings up the fact to community leaders. Why are they denied light? Does the
community feel they cannot be trusted to extinguish it before sleeping or
leaving the room? Is this the way they are to be treated in their old age? Are
they a foolish pair?
At night, when Axl and Beatrice lay down they are kept
warm by many wool blankets. A mere candle would not add heat but would allow
them to stay up a little later conversing. What is there to say, though? Axl
and Beatrice are losing their memories and have little to talk about.
It is an odd thing, but the community is also forgetting
even the smallest of events. Just last week, a little girl went missing and a
search party was organized. The girl returned on her own a couple of hours
later and her mother acted as if she was out tending the chickens and nothing
more.
The search party came back after another couple of
hours discussing some bird they saw while returning from a long forgotten
quest. They joined the community at the great fire in the center of the warren
to share the news of the wren eagle only to forget and start arguing over
whether they saw shepherds on the hill during their return.
Beatrice has a theory. She thinks the shared
forgetfulness is caused by the mist that surrounds the hill and the caves
below. When it is thicker, all memory is erased and when it is thin she can at
least remember her day and retell it to Axl.
It is because of this dishonor with the candle and the
community forgetfulness that Axl and Beatrice decide to leave the warren for
their son’s home far away. They feel they must go soon for they may forget they
have a son and even lose his name.
The Buried Giant by Kazuo Ishiguro is his seventh
book taking ten years to write. This author of The Remains of the Day and
Never Let Me Go is stretching his talent by producing a never before told
fantasy with amazing twists and turns that may make forgotten memories a
blessing.
Wednesday, March 25, 2015
Freeze Tag! (copy)
I got an exciting email last night from Dr. Sue
Clifton. She is one of 37 talented writers who will be appearing at the Author
Rodeo Roundup this Saturday, March 28, from 2:00 p.m.to 4:00 p.m. on the
Senatobia campus of Northwest in the R. C. Pugh Library.
Clifton is a retiree who fly-fishes, ghost hunts, and
writes. She has eight novels under her belt. She also divides her time between
homes in Mississippi, Arkansas and Montana with husband Woody. While in
Mississippi, she substitute teaches English at South Panola High School.
In 2014, she enhanced her senior English classes with
a writing project. She had started, Freeze Tag! and was about one-third done
when she asked students to help her finish it. From the group, two students stood
out.
Clifton states, “It was the most gratifying teaching experience
ever for me. I solicited the help of Grace Guntharp, 2014 valedictorian and
current English major at Ole Miss, and Brooke Clapp, a senior this year, to
finish the book.”
Clifton continues, “Grace is my co-author and wrote
all the "Letters from World War II" as well as helping me put the whole
manuscript together and finalizing it. In all, 71 senior students gave me
ideas, plots, and sub-plots that Grace and I incorporated into the final book.
Brooke is an artist and poet. She did the back cover art and some interior art.
Her poetry begins each chapter and sets the tone for each of the six parts.”
Freeze Tag! was released in February of this year and
has three 5-star-reviews on Amazon. It is the story of 17-year-old Anna and her
eight-year-old sister Lilly. Their dying mother disappears and the two trek off
to Memphis in search of their homeless Grandmother, Tass.
Once located, the three return to Arkansas and assume
Lilly's guardianship. Things are not all rosy and Anna sneaks away in the
middle of the night taking Lilly to a 1890s Victorian mansion on the Tennessee
side of the Smokey Mountains. The Clayton House and property were willed to
Anna's mother by a reclusive aunt. All is not as it appears as the home proves
to be filled with ghosts.
Dr. Sue Clifton
along with Grace and Brooke will be at the Author Rodeo Roundup to sign Freeze
Tag!. All profits from this book go to South Panola High School for the
purchase of laptops to be used by the English Department.
Wednesday, March 18, 2015
Whispers (copy)
One of the most exciting times for a woman is
pregnancy. The questions that are never ending start to form in her head as her
body does some really strange things. Naturally, she immerses herself in making
the perfect nest and her family and friends shower her with well wishes and
gifts. She is about to take on a lifetime of love and she works hard to make it
perfect.
In Margaret Eubanks’ Whispers: Life Begins and a
Voice is Heard… the mom is asked to take a little quiet time and record the
events as they are happening. The unborn voice is whispering little secrets
every day and mom needs to slow down to hear the aspirations.
First, this tiny little butterfly wants Mom to know
she is loved. “Mom it’s you and I for the next nine months. The morning
sickness will pass soon. I wonder if you will want me. My hope is that you will
love me and give [me] a chance at life. If you hear a whisper, Mom, it’s me
saying, ‘I love you.’”
On the next page, Mom is asked to journal her thoughts
about the day she found out she was pregnant. The whisperer tells her to,
“Write it down Mom. Someday I’ll want to know.” Across from the page is a lined
paper for her to fill out.
This paperback book is the size of a children’s book.
The font is large and sparse. The pages have plenty of lined paper for mothers
to record the events as they unfold. The pictures are large and meant to carry
the story along. This children’s book format is special as one day it will be
read back to the child for which it was produced.
Whispers becomes the story of birth for one lucky
little-one who has a mother with the forethought to write it all down. The
book, once filled with the experience of birth, will become a family treasure
at first requested daily by the child to be read repeatedly, then tucked away
on a shelf to be rediscovered years later and again treasured.
Born in Mississippi, Margaret Eubanks currently
resides in the Batesville area. Whispers, written in 2006, is the first of
two books by Mrs. Eubanks. She will also be bringing her, Goodnight, Sippi, I
Love You to the Author Rodeo Roundup Saturday, March 28 from 2-4:00p.m. at the
R.C. Pugh Library on the Senatobia campus of Northwest Mississippi Community
College.
Wednesday, March 04, 2015
My Magnolia Memories and Musings (copy)
This past weekend, I finished the Little Rock Marathon
with a person I met that morning who literally changed my thinking process for
the whole race. A select few (super slow) runners were allowed to start the
race Sunday morning at 6:00 a.m. while the rest slept in until the 8:00 a.m.
start time.
The group we formed was happy and eager to get things
on the road. I started to run in front of them just to make space and got
slightly to the left of a man who was doing the same thing. I believed he was
talking to himself when he said, “This feels good.” He noticed me and I gave
him an approving nod. Five minutes passed and he repeated himself and I again nodded.
He was an older man and I started to match him step by
step. He turned to me and said, “This is a great pace. What do you think?” I
agreed and then we exchanged race strategies. Yes, even those runners in the
back come to a race with a plan. We also shared that this was our third
marathon to run and we liked the early morning start that meant there would be
food left.
About two miles into the race, we turn a corner and
the State Capital sat lit up on the hill. Nearing the top we saw the police
lights where the rabbit runners in our group were beginning to make the turn.
He turned to me and said, “Look at our elite group.” I started laughing because
marathon organizers make a big deal out of “elite” runners who will possibly win
the race and money. Obviously, no one in our group had a chance.
At the 11th mile it started to rain
lightly. My new friend said, “My wife thinks that mist makes you look younger,”
and he sticks his face out into the rain to get a good dousing. For a 70-year-old
man, he looked good and I laughed and then proceeded to do the same maneuver.
I count my lucky stars that I met this positive man
and ran this race with him until we parted at mile 24. The weather was cold and
wet, the hills were unforgiving, and the roads were packed rocks, but not once
did either one of us say a disparaging word.
Mississippi’s poet treasure, Patricia Neely-Dorsey, who
also speaks only positive words about Mississippi will be returning to this
year’s Author Rodeo Roundup as royalty. Mississippi Governor, Phil Bryant has
declared her an Official Goodwill Ambassador for Mississippi by stating, “She
is always, always celebrating the South and promoting a positive Mississippi through
her poems.”
Her poem, “Meet My Mississippi” is currently being considered
for the official state poem.
Wednesday, February 18, 2015
Yazoo: Integration in a Deep-Southern Town (copy)
I am so in awe of author Willie Morris. During our
snow break, I read Yazoo: Integration in a Deep-Southern Town, Remembering
Willie, Good Old Boy, and The Ghost of Rowan Oak: William Faulkner’s Ghost
Stories for Children. In the last book mentioned, he wrote the introduction portion
for one of his best friends, Dean Faulkner Wells.
Morris mentions in Yazoo that he was reluctant to leave
his boyhood home and walk around the town where he grew up after writing his
bestseller, North Toward Home. Three years after publishing the book, he
returned to the community to begin Yazoo. It was his hope to flesh out the
trials and tribulations of forced integration in his own Yazoo City High School
and maintain a dignity to all those who he was about to write.
Morris explained his reluctance to venture into the
community because of North Toward Home by stating, “My book, as such things always do in our country,
had deeply disturbed the town. Many people there thought I had damaged and
condemned it. One person wrote me that I had besmirched the memory of my
father. Another wrote a letter published on the front page of the Yazoo Herald
that I had embarrassed my church, my school, and my friends. My mother received
a few threatening calls. I got pointed warnings about what would happen if I
ever came back.”
It was Willie’s childhood friend, Bubba Barrier, that
got him out and amongst his people. He called Willie who was living in New York
to let him know that North Toward Home was selling like hotcakes in town. The
drugstore had a line around the block to buy it and over 100 holds on the
library copy.
Bubba eased Willie’s fears by explaining that the reaction
to the book was split. Fifty percent loved the book and were very proud of it
and the other half hated it. Bubba felt that the half that hated it were mad
because they were not mentioned.
It took another group of friends to talk Willie into
returning to Mississippi to live out the rest of his life. Larry and Dean
Faulkner Wells paved the way for Willie Morris to be the first
writer-in-residence at the University of Mississippi.
Larry Wells will be appearing at the second annual
Author Rodeo Roundup, Saturday, March 28 at the R.C. Pugh Library from
2:00-4:00 p.m. on the Northwest Senatobia campus. As a panelist, Wells will be discussing
his new Yoknapatawpha Press release of RIOT: Witness to Anger and Change by Edwin E. Meek.
Wednesday, February 11, 2015
Simply Weight Loss (copy)
Last year, I went from a slow
13 minute mile to a glacier 14 minute mile pace and gained weight all while training
for a marathon. What? The marathon schedule I choose emphasized mandatory long
runs on the weekend for endurance, and optional runs during the week.
My slowing pace really
bothered me. Did my advancing age slow my not-so-advancing feet? Was the extra
weight effecting my performance? In the health section at Books-A-Million, I read
things like run hills, add tempo runs, add a circuit workout, and run timed
laps. Sigh. The last book I picked up said it all, “To run faster, one must run
faster.”
The two books I read this
week remind me of my aha-moment with the running books. Simply Weight Loss by
Dr. Mike Cockrell and The Hummer Garden: How to increase your Hummingbird
Population by Lisa Cockrell and Chad Martin provide practical tips needed to
lose weight and attract humming birds to your home.
These small books can be
enjoyed in a minimum amount of time, but are chocked full of aha moments. For
instance, Dr. Mike states there is no magic solution to weight loss, but if
pressed for one he says, water. He then gives five examples of the effects of
water on the body.
Lisa and Chad filled
their book with photographs that emphasis the importance of color and grouping
of hummingbird attractors. Trees, flowers, vines, feeders, and a quiet space
set the perfect table for hummingbirds to feast and fellowship. A picture in
this book is truly worth a thousand words.
Dr. Mike Cockrell is a
practicing family physician in Senatobia, Mississippi. His wife, Lisa, attracts
over 100 hummingbirds to her meditation garden in Como every year. Chad Martin
not only co-wrote with Lisa, but he co-owns Laurel Rose Publishing with Dr. Mike.
The company was founded in 2012 to give would-be authors an affordable place to
publish.
Dr. Mike, wife Lisa, and
Chad Martin will represent both the writing and publishing side at the second
annual Author Rodeo Roundup on March 28 from 2:00 – 4:00 p.m. at the RC Pugh Library
in Senatobia.
Wednesday, February 04, 2015
The Night Train (copy)
Jayrod could hear the bell his teacher, Mrs. Snitch,
wielded with great enthusiasm off in the distance. He was stuck to the earth
unable to make a decision. In front of him was a deep gully full of honeysuckle
and briars. On the other side stood the class bullies led by Horace Plunk and
his cronies, Bobby Greenhall and Tony Farse.
The vine swung near Jayrod’s head as Horace taunted
him with insults. The other two took turns clucking like chickens and calling
him scared. In the distance, the bell rang again like Mrs. Snitch was trying to
shake off a bee that had landed on her thick wrist.
It was now or never as Jayrod grabbed the vine,
closed his eyes, and let it drive him to the other side. Just as he left the
earth, it occurred to him that once he got to the other side, Horace was just
going to push him back instead of allowing him to make a safe landing.
No need to worry. Jayrod did not have the momentum
to make it. He could feel the rough vine slowing and he opened his eyes in
panic. He had a quarter to go when the vine began to tilt back and head in the
opposite direction.
“Like a pendulum he swung, back and forth, to and
fro, until his hands slipped and he spiraled downward. Briars ripped the flesh
of his bare legs and arms as he plummeted ten feet to the bottom of the ravine.”
“‘Jayrod broke the vine!’ Horace laughed. ‘Big fat
Jayrod!’”
“The Night Train” by Carl Purdon is the story of Jayrod
Nash, a nine-year-old growing up in a small town in Mississippi with a mousy
mother and an alcoholic father. The title refers to his possible salvation, a train
that can take him to a better place, a better life, and safety.
Purdon lives in Pontotoc, Mississippi, with his wife
and two of their four children. In February of 2012, he released this debut
novel, “The Night Train.” His fourth novel, “Red Eyes,” a sequel to “The Night
Train,” is scheduled for release on March 23, 2015. His writing style has been described
as a mixture of Mark Twain and Merle Haggard.
Carl Purdon is one of the many authors and
publishers appearing at the second annual Author Rodeo Roundup on March 28 from
2:00 – 4:00p.m. at the RC Pugh library in Senatobia.
Wednesday, January 21, 2015
Flight of the Sparrow (copy)
Mary Rowlandson’s life is in jeopardy. Two weeks ago
she was shot at and taken as spoils of the siege on her small village in Bay
Colony, Massachusetts called Lancaster. Her husband left the night before the
ambush to get help from a Boston militia. She still awaits his return.
In the fight, Mary lost her sister, Beth. She saw Beth
being struck down at the threshold of her burning house by a devil that looked
like he was enjoying the experience. One blow by the club would have sufficed,
but the devil continued to defile her and then set her aflame.
Mary viewed other horrors as she tried to run but
the buckshot that was mostly taken by her small daughter Sarah was also causing
her to see double. Or, was the excruciating pain around Mary’s waist a result of
Sarah’s legs squeezing tight on the wound in order to stay on Mary as they made
haste?
The same devil that fouled Beth was ready to club
Mary when he suddenly stopped. He pulled off her kerchief and yanked at her
hair. He stepped closer to her and began to lick a curl as if it was made of
honey. He then pushed the woolen cap off of Sarah’s head.
Instead of being killed, the devil herded them to an
opening in the stockade. Shoving them through, another devil grabbed her and threw
a noose made of hemp around her neck. The other end of the long rope was
attached to a horse, one of Mary’s own.
Sarah has been dead now for a week and Mary is doing
her best to forget the child and concentrate on her living children. She spoke
with her son, Josh, earlier that week and found he and his sister were slaves to
an Indian family in a nearby village.
In that brief encounter, Josh had to tell Mary what
happened to Goody Joslin. He cried as he retold the ugly affair. Ann Joslin was
going into labor as they walked away from the fighting and her wails were irritating
the warriors. Josh said he and some other children were made to dance around her
in a circle. When that did not stop the noise, one of the devils jumped atop
her and cut her wailing throat.
All Mary could think to console him with was trust
in the Lord. All her Puritan beliefs were not helping though. And where was her
husband? Was she not worth rescuing?
Set in 1672 early America, Amy Belding Brown’s book Flight
of the Sparrow is an intriguing page turner and the first book in this semester’s
Reading Roundtable at Northwest. Digital Librarian Maya Berry will lead the discussion
and Amy Brown will Skype in on January 27 at 2 p.m. at the R. C. Pugh Library in Senatobia.
Wednesday, January 14, 2015
We were Liars (copy)
The Sinclairs have money. Tipper and Harris have so
much money that they own an island off the coast of Massachusetts called
Beechwood. Each summer the whole clan, consisting of three divorced daughters
with eight children and one friend, boat out to the island to join the
Sinclairs.
On that island are four beautiful vacation homes.
The Sinclair’s three-story Victorian, Clairmont, is filled with priceless art
and an extensive library for summer reading. Cadence "Cady" Sinclair Eastman, the
first born grandchild, loves to spend her time amongst the books in the comfy
library instead of basking in the sand and water.
Each daughter owns a two-story beach home at
different points on the island. The Eastmans own Windemere that sits on the
northern point. The Sheffields stay in Cuddledown on the Northeast corner and
the Dennises live on the southeast corner in Red Gate. The homes, tennis court,
boathouse, staff shack, beaches, and docks are connected by wooden walkways.
The Sinclairs are a beautiful bunch. Each is tall,
golden and athletic, with radiant smiles of sureness. Standing at a distance,
one cannot see lawbreakers, addicts or failures in the group. It is only the
closest family member Cady who recognizes the cracks in the
façade.
Cady is 18 years old when she retells the story of
the fall of the Sinclairs. She is recovering from an accident that happened on
the island within summer 15, and we are privileged to hear of her life as she
recalls the summers before.
Cady spent each summer with Johnny, Mirren and Gat.
The family calls them the Liars. The lies are never used to deceive, but, in fact, such whoppers that no one would ever believe. The Liars are all the same age.
The family calls the next group of grandchildren in similar age, the Littles.
Cady wants readers to know she is alright and still
living with her mother and three golden retrievers in Burlington, Vermont at
the beginning of the book. She now sports thick black hair having dyed it after
summer 15. Perhaps, she hopes people will not see a Sinclair resemblance.
When Cady returns to Beechwood for summer 17, having
spent summer 16 traveling Europe with her father, the Liars are slow to warm to
her new look and attitude.
We Were Liars by E. Lockhart is absolutely the
best young adult book out there. No matter how many hints Ms. Lockhart leaves,
readers cannot predict the end. Here is my hint. Cady is not a reliable narrator.
Wednesday, January 07, 2015
Unbroken Movie vs. Book (copy)
Now that the movie Unbroken has been out in theaters
for a couple of weeks, I have to state my opinion that the book is better. One
might reason that in the movie, viewers can see the movements of the characters
or be captivated by the beautiful scenery. The visual is very seductive, but I
stand unmoved. In all cases, the book is always better.
Gone with the Wind is a perfect example of the
quality of the book versus the movie. According to the Oscar Award’s database, the
movie was nominated for 15 Oscars and won 10 including best actress, best
supporting actress, art direction, directing, cinematography, and screenplay. Not
bad, but the book won higher praise with the Pulitzer Prize for Margaret
Mitchell in fiction.
Both movie and book are quality according to the
experts, but the one difference is the insight into characters. Movies allow
for some insight by either having characters tell their feelings to one another
or speak out loud for no reason which is awkward. Books explain in great detail
what characters are thinking, feeling, and planning.
You cannot possibly know what main character, Louis
Zamperini, in Unbroken is thinking, feeling or planning unless you read the
book or he tells another person in the movie. Why did Louie run so poorly in
the Olympics? In the book, readers learn that he did not have enough money for
the trip so he stole food. On the ship he went for the pastries and while in
Germany he made off with a loaf of bread.
The book Unbroken really puts readers through the
wringer during the lost at sea segment. You starve with Louie. You listen to
his mother’s Italian recipes and experience the shark’s fin as it runs
underneath the raft past your spine. You also become closer to God and your own
immortality. The movie’s time perimeters allow viewers a couple of these events
before being found by the Japanese. The 47 days of agony are reduced to 25
minutes on film. At least in the book, it will take you a couple of days to
read the section.
Not to take away from the movie, but my husband had
a hard time believing all these things happened to one man and he could never
shake off the fact that he was watching a movie set. Both author, Laura
Hillenbrand, and director, Angelina Jolie, were blessed in the fact that they
had Louis Zamperini in person to ask how he thought, and felt and the actions
he took to survive.
Wednesday, December 10, 2014
Rumble (copy)
I am reading a book with the underlining theme of
regret. Rumble by Ellen Hopkins is a young adult book with an 18-year-old
main character who is full of regret. What can he possibly regret this early in
his life?
Reflecting on my life, one regret sticks out. I was
24 years old living in Memphis and proudly flew my 1969 Citabria back to Smyrna
to show off to all the guys. As an aerospace student at MTSU, I worked the
counter at Smyrna Air Center for two years. All the flight instructors used to
be classmates except one, Col. Hawn.
Col. Hawn had his own office with a small desk and
chair across from the counter. He would lean his chair back and kick up his
legs on the desk to keep the pressure off his knees critiquing all our bonehead
maneuvers through the smoky haze of his soiled pipe.
He was once a dashing Spitfire pilot in World War
II. His war photo says it all. Col. Hawn looks at the camera, hat askew and fresh
leather jacket bound, grinning with a pencil thin mustache. His career started
outside of Memphis in a plane he rebuilt from a wreck. His instructor, Red, was
paid in whiskey.
In his office was a book with pictures of all the
airplanes of the world. Col. Hawn circled two thirds of the military planes
indicating the ones he flew left seat. At the airport, he had a Cessna 150 and
a Swift that he kept clean in a hangar. It was necessary for me to fly the 150,
but it was an honor to be allowed to pilot the Swift.
Just thinking back, I can smell his pipe and see the
yellowed interior of his little 150. We flew it down to Muscle Shoals for my
first cross country and he slept on the return trip forcing me to navigate as
if alone. All the jokes about Col. Hawn’s narcolepsy finally made sense.
In order to fly his Swift, I had to open the hangar,
tow the plane onto the tarmac, and await further instructions. It was a blustery
day in February, both of us suffering with spring fever, when we took off. The
Swift literally jumped into the air and we were at altitude in no time. Col.
Hawn took me through a series of rolls and loops. The thing I most remember is
his grabbing the wheel with both hands and running up behind a Cessna 152 pretending
to shoot machine gun style with his fingers. He was fun.
My regret, and I shudder thinking about it, was not
allowing him to pilot my plane. When I returned to Smyrna that day he was 76
years old and using a cane. He asked and I begged off blaming a family
obligation in Gallatin. His eyes fell and so did my heart.
I had possibly 30 hours logged in the plane and I was
afraid that if something happened I would not be able to land from the back
seat. I also had concern about his weight. He was a tall man and easily weighed
250 lbs. To this day, I hate that I let my fear keep this sweet man from having
fun.
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