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On a muggy, late August afternoon in 1936, somewhere along the
banks of Greasy Creek, Life found Grace--walking the dusty mile
between work and home in a brand new pair of leather kitten-heeled
pumps, blond curls bouncing in the sun. Two weeks later, Lifie Jay
Preston and Grace Mollette married, a union that lasted until their
deaths fifty-eight years later. There was something about them,
their daughter Linda would discover, a kind of radiance and love of
living that would mark them in the memories of every person they
encountered--a song that resonates years after their passing.
"Songs of Life and Grace: A Memoir" is their story, told by the
daughter whose own life grew out of their loving ministries and
Appalachian sensibilities. Linda Scott DeRosier, the celebrated
author of "Creeker: A Woman's Journey," draws on family letters and
lore, interviews, and her own recollections to reach a better
understanding of her parents and the families that formed them
both. Along the way, she introduces an unforgettable cast of
characters: the formidable Grandma Emmy; Uncle Burns, an infamous
ladies' man; helpless and simple Aunt Jo; and gentle Pop Pop, who
could peel an apple in one long, unbroken spiral. A stirring,
honest look at Appalachia and a tribute to the unbreakable bonds of
family, "Songs of Life and Grace" establishes DeRosier as one of
the most vital and exciting new voices of the American South.
Linda Sue Preston was born on a feather bed in the upper room of
her Grandma Emmy's log house in the hills of eastern Kentucky. More
than fifty years later, Linda Scott DeRosier has come to believe
that you can take a woman out of Appalachia but you can't take
Appalachia out of the woman. DeRosier's humorous and poignant
memoir is the story of an educated and cultured woman who came of
age in Appalachia. She remains unabashedly honest about and proud
of her mountain heritage. Now a college professor, decades and
notions removed from the creeks and hollows, DeRosier knows that
her roots run deep in her memory and language and in her approach
to the world. DeRosier describes an Appalachia of complexity and
beauty rarely seen by outsiders. Hers was a close-knit world; she
says she was probably eleven or twelve years old before she ever
spoke to a stranger. She lovingly remembers the unscheduled,
day-long visits to friends and family, when visitors cheerfully
joined in the day's chores of stringing beans or bedding out sweet
potatoes. No advance planning was needed for such trips. Residents
of Two-Mile Creek were like family, and everyone was ""delighted to
see each other wherever, whenever, and for however long."" Creeker
is a story of relationships, the challenges and consequences of
choice, and the impact of the past on the present. It also recalls
one woman's struggle to make and keep a sense of self while
remaining loyal to the people and traditions that sustained her
along life's way. Told with wit, candor, and zest, this is Linda
Scott DeRosier's answer to the question familiar in
Appalachia--""Who are your people?""
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