In the tradition of The Glass Castle,
Educated, and Heartland, Neal
Wootentraces five decades of his dirt-poor, Alabama mountain
family as the years and secrets coalesce. Neal Wooten
grew up in a tiny community atop Sand Mountain, Alabama, where
everyone was white and everyone was poor. Prohibition was still
embraced. If you wanted alcohol, you had to drive to Georgia or
ask the bootlegger sitting next to you in church. Tent
revivals, snake handlers, and sacred harp music
were the norm, and everyone was welcome as long as you
weren’t Black, brown, gay, atheist, Muslim, a damn Yankee, or a
Tennessee Vol fan. The Wooten's lived a secret existence in a
shack in the woods with no running water, no insulation, and almost
no electricity. Even the school bus and mail carrier
wouldn’t go there. Neal’s family could hide where they were,
but not what they were. They were poor white trash.
Cops could see it. Teachers could see it. Everyone could see it.
Growing up, Neal was weaned on folklore legends of his
grandfather—his quick wit, quick feet, and quick temper.Â
He discovers how this volatile disposition led to a murder, a
conviction, and ultimately to a daring prison escape and a closely
guarded family secret. Being followed by a black car with men in
black suits was as normal to Neal as using an outhouse, carrying
drinking water from a stream, and doing homework by the light of a
kerosene lamp. And Neal’s father, having inherited the very same
traits of his father, made sure the frigid mountain
winters weren’t the most brutal thing his family faced. Told from
two perspectives, this story alternates between Neal’s life and
his grandfather’s, culminating in a shocking revelation. Take a
journey to the Deep South and learn what it’s like to be born on
the wrong side of the tracks, the wrong side of the law, and the
wrong side of a violent mental illness.
General
Imprint: |
Pegasusbooks
|
Country of origin: |
United States |
Release date: |
May 2023 |
Authors: |
Neal Wooten
|
Dimensions: |
210 x 140 x 28mm (L x W x T) |
Format: |
Paperback - Trade
|
Pages: |
320 |
ISBN-13: |
978-1-63936-470-1 |
Categories: |
Books
|
LSN: |
1-63936-470-6 |
Barcode: |
9781639364701 |
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