Sometimes if I’m lucky, I come across a writer who says what my heart longs to share, and this is the case with Georgia Green Stamper’s Butter in the Morning (2012) and You Can Go Anywhere from the Crossroads of America (1908) both by Wind Publications. In her first book, Stamper tells about growing up in eastern Kentucky, and she does it with humor, tenderness, and a decency that lifts the spirit. Many of her recollections are so bright and colorful they make me laugh. She revisits some of those experiences in her second book, but it also includes references to recent events.
Her essays detail the real Americana for which people search. I now can say, “Search no more.” Stamper describes events, people, places, and celebrations with flair and humor, be it the blizzard of 1950, when drifts were twenty-seven feet high, or how getting the right Halloween costume can become an obsession, or thoughts such as “When Your Babies Become Mothers.” Stories about the wonder and chaos of loving three daughters and their extended families are memorable, but Stamper’s stories also resonate with men. She writes about farming, politics, Kentucky River boats, the men in her family, especially her father, and subjects that reflect “pieces of Kentucky life.” My husband was captivated by Samper’s writings, and after he finished the first, he had to have the second! I had to wait my turn to read it
Stamper connects with readers in such a way they will identify, sympathize, cheer, and possibly shed a tear remembering similar experiences and the rich heritage upon which family values are taught and shared. None of her essays do a better job of it than “Dog Days of August,” a gem of a philosophy and humor. I well remember hot days in the South before the advent of air conditioning when people sat on their porches in the still sultry evenings, telling stories and gossiping while waiting for the house to cool down. Like Stamper, I shiver thinking about cold bedrooms before central heat when sheets and bed linens were like the frozen tundra. Those were the days, and I sure am happy to enjoy modern conveniences, AC, and central heat! But America used to be that way, and Stamper has captured that time and place before telephones, computers, TV, and high tech gadgets. Butter in the Morning is like a Norman Rockwell illustration come to life.
For years, my favorite short story American writers have been Jesse Stuart, James Thurber, Eudora Welty, and Lawrence Dorr. I’ll now have to add Georgia Green Stamper to my list. Her tales aren’t what some would call “stories” in the true since of the genre, but they are stories. Her use of the English language is fine. Her breezy style delightful and optimistic, and her stories about what really matters in life is a measure of wisdom. She often quotes her mother’s take on life’s ups and downs—“You might as well laugh.” It’s a starchy good philosophy. As I wrote in my review of Butter in the Morning for Amazon, I give this little book five stars. I share these thoughts because from time to time I like to introduce and/or review a book I think readers will enjoy and/or find instructive. I am delighted to share my enthusiasm for these two books by Georgia Green Stamper.
Her essays detail the real Americana for which people search. I now can say, “Search no more.” Stamper describes events, people, places, and celebrations with flair and humor, be it the blizzard of 1950, when drifts were twenty-seven feet high, or how getting the right Halloween costume can become an obsession, or thoughts such as “When Your Babies Become Mothers.” Stories about the wonder and chaos of loving three daughters and their extended families are memorable, but Stamper’s stories also resonate with men. She writes about farming, politics, Kentucky River boats, the men in her family, especially her father, and subjects that reflect “pieces of Kentucky life.” My husband was captivated by Samper’s writings, and after he finished the first, he had to have the second! I had to wait my turn to read it
Stamper connects with readers in such a way they will identify, sympathize, cheer, and possibly shed a tear remembering similar experiences and the rich heritage upon which family values are taught and shared. None of her essays do a better job of it than “Dog Days of August,” a gem of a philosophy and humor. I well remember hot days in the South before the advent of air conditioning when people sat on their porches in the still sultry evenings, telling stories and gossiping while waiting for the house to cool down. Like Stamper, I shiver thinking about cold bedrooms before central heat when sheets and bed linens were like the frozen tundra. Those were the days, and I sure am happy to enjoy modern conveniences, AC, and central heat! But America used to be that way, and Stamper has captured that time and place before telephones, computers, TV, and high tech gadgets. Butter in the Morning is like a Norman Rockwell illustration come to life.
For years, my favorite short story American writers have been Jesse Stuart, James Thurber, Eudora Welty, and Lawrence Dorr. I’ll now have to add Georgia Green Stamper to my list. Her tales aren’t what some would call “stories” in the true since of the genre, but they are stories. Her use of the English language is fine. Her breezy style delightful and optimistic, and her stories about what really matters in life is a measure of wisdom. She often quotes her mother’s take on life’s ups and downs—“You might as well laugh.” It’s a starchy good philosophy. As I wrote in my review of Butter in the Morning for Amazon, I give this little book five stars. I share these thoughts because from time to time I like to introduce and/or review a book I think readers will enjoy and/or find instructive. I am delighted to share my enthusiasm for these two books by Georgia Green Stamper.
RSS Feed
