NF
NF
Signed
First edition

This is not a mystery either, but it is a GREAT book! A small boy's adventures in the Alabama of the mid-60's and his aunt's hysterical road trip to California and fame and fortune on the Beverly Hillbillys tv show. If I try to explain the plot and more, I'll ruin it. But, do find it, read it, trust me. ( )

I picked this book up in a second hand book store in Fairhope, Alabama. I had heard of the book and decided to give it a try. The story of a murder, and a small boy growing up in Alabama, set to the backdrop of the Civil Rights movement. Lucille has killed her husband in a particularly gruesome way, and is on the run from the law, while her nephew, Peejoe, comes of age in a town struggling with integration. Sometimes funny, sometimes poignant, sometimes deadly serious, Childress has written a wonderful story. I would highly recommend it. ( )

This book was fairly decent all the way up until the end. In the last ten pages or so, the book really falls apart. However, for most of the book, it was interesting, and I found the dual stories to build off of one another and complement each other nicely. The story of Lucille is a story of wife oppression, and the story of Peejoe is a story of racial oppression. The characters are likable no matter how insanely flawed they are, and despite the crazy story line, Childress keeps the story reigned in pretty well so that it is almost believable. ( )

How can a novel about murder and racism in Alabama be both funny and moving? It takes a writer with talent and a deft touch! Orphaned Peejoe is living with his loving Meemaw when his Aunt Lucille decides to murder her husband and head to LA to audition for the Beverley Hillbillies. Sent to stay with his Uncle Dove, a funeral home owner and the County coroner, Peejoe finds himself in the middle of the Civil Rights movement when the town's Black residents try to desegregate the new swimming pool.
Alternating chapters present PeeJoe's point of view as well as Aunt Lucille's. Lucille is a hoot, Peejoe is just trying to figure out what is going on and how he feels about it all. While the chapters describing the horrible acts of racism are disturbing (though historically accurate) it is how the people in Peejoe's life respond that provides insight and raise thought provoking questions. Excellent read! ( )