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3.86 AVERAGE
3.86 AVERAGE
This book has a different approach to the historical problem of racism. It was an interesting read, but a little to crass for my taste.
I've lived in Alabama for 25 years this year, so I think I can call it home. I'm late to the game reading this novel by Mark Childress, which was published one year after I left my native Mississippi for Alabama. I had erroneously thought that this would belong in that trite category of Southern fiction that sought to memorialize and trivialize southern foibles (think Steel Magnolias), glossing over the complex and dark history of the south with humor and madness. Not so. While there is plenty of farcical humor in this novel, there is a dark undercurrent that honors the struggles and complexity of this region and state - the legacy of slavery, white supremacy, the struggle for the south to truly rise above the ignorance and the manipulation of politicians. Unfortunately, as I write this, we have a racially divided state and nation, as the 45th POTUS is openly campaigning for a senate candidate who has taken money from white supremacist organizations, who has been accused of several counts of sexual misconduct, and has referred to slavery as when America was great. Read this novel if you want to take a look at Alabama in the time of MLK and George C. Wallace, told through the eyes of a 12 year old protagonist. It will make you laugh, make you sad, and make you angry, because the more things change....
funny
inspiring
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
"At that moment I tasted the water in the nigger cup. I tasted the iron tang of blood in the water. I was huddled in that hearse with them, breathing the smell of their blood, sharing their fear."
Well written, amazing story and yet so sad. Funny yet sad.
Loved loved loved it!! What a crazy mix of tragedy, history, humour and hilarity! A big thank you to my sister-in-law, Lisa, for recommending this book. I probably would have never picked it from the shelf on my own. Now I am very much looking forward to reading other books by Mark Childress.
3.5 STARS
"CRAZY IN ALABAMA is the story of two journeys--Lucille's from Industry, Alabama, to Los Angeles, to star on 'THE BEVERLY HILL BILLIES' and her 12-year-old nephew Peejoe's, who is about to discover two kinds of Southern justice, and what that means about the stories he's heard and the people he knows." (From Amazon)
A great funny coming of age story set in the south. A young boy living with his grandmother falls in love with his crazy aunt's life. She writes to him about her adventure in Hollywood. It is set in the 60s and racism is a focus through the local pool being segregated.
"CRAZY IN ALABAMA is the story of two journeys--Lucille's from Industry, Alabama, to Los Angeles, to star on 'THE BEVERLY HILL BILLIES' and her 12-year-old nephew Peejoe's, who is about to discover two kinds of Southern justice, and what that means about the stories he's heard and the people he knows." (From Amazon)
A great funny coming of age story set in the south. A young boy living with his grandmother falls in love with his crazy aunt's life. She writes to him about her adventure in Hollywood. It is set in the 60s and racism is a focus through the local pool being segregated.
This was a fun and fairly light read, set in Alabama in 1965. It's funny in a lot of places, but also deals with the serious issues of civil rights at the time. The story centers on a 12 year old PeJo, who is witness to a funny but felonious aunt, civil rights marches, and a lynching.
One of my managers practically forced me to read this book, and I'm so glad he did. The only way I can think of to describe it is To Kill a Mockingbird on LSD. That doesn't quite paint the right picture, but it's close. The novel is set in Alabama, summer of 1965 - just a few months after the events in Selma. Half the book is a haunting look at the racial tensions at the time, while the other half is this insane story about a woman who dreams of being an actess and carries around her husband's decapitated head in a tupperware salad keeper. If that doesn't sell you on it I don't know what will. It's so crazy, but so good. I loved it.