Book Jewel of the Month: Of God, Rattlesnakes, and Okra (Easterling)

  



What is a book jewel? A sometimes-overlooked book with remarkable insight and potential significance. Each month, we share near-daily, or as often as possible, reviews of the monthly book jewel - short, succinct reviews that can be read in 1-2 minutes with links to the reviewer by reviewers whose words are worthy of being heard and whose opinions are worthy of being considered. Sometimes a couple of minutes contains more impressive thought than ten times that many. We will let you decide that.

This month's book jewel is Of God, Rattlesnakes, and Okra by J. Bennett Easterling. 

Description:

A heaping slice of old-fashioned Southern storytelling, this book gives readers a taste of genuine American life that will keep them coming back for more. Join the journey as a preacher's kid survives his father's stern discipline, rattlesnakes, and harvesting okra. The deep-fried characters are unforgettable, and the furry and feathered folks will steal the heart of animal lovers. Soaked in faith, people survived the lean, mean times, thanks to the velvet hearts they carried under their calluses, hard work, the good sense to laugh at themselves, and, often, the hand of God. What a delightful legacy they left us! Once you pick up this book, you'll be pleading, "Don't stop now and don't ever grow up!"

Review by Courteney Whisenant on Goodreads:

I was so excited to be selected for an early review copy on LibraryThing. This book was a collection of stories detailing what it was like growing up in the south as a poor, preacher's kid around the time of the Great Depression. Some of the stories were more entertaining than others but it was a great glimpse into what I imagine life was like for my parents and grandparents. It's amazing to me how poor some people were and how difficult it was to provide basic necessities. I love the work ethic and survival skills of these hard working southerners. I also loved the honesty with which the author shared about sensitive issues like inadvertently offending someone with a racial slur and gently being corrected or the fact that his grandmother was half Choctaw and how the family tried to keep her mixed race a secret out of shame. There were even some things I could relate to about my own childhood in the south and things I learned like the term scuppernong and how to get honey without a Wal-mart. Overall, I thought the book was delightful and it left me longing for simpler times.

I highly recommend this book, about a time that has since passed but we can learn a lot from.


Pinnacle Book Achievement Award

Paperback available at 25% with coupon code FF25


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Julia Aziz, signing her book, Lessons of Labor, at an event at Book People in Austin, Texas.




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