Wofford’s Blood (Mercer University Press 2024) is a stunning work of historical fiction based on the life of James Daugherty (J. D.) Wofford, a half White, half Cherokee, who became a conductor and interpreter on the Trail of Tears. Author Donna Coffey Little tells readers in an “Author’s Note” at the beginning that the interviews […]
December Read of the Month: “Wofford’s Blood” by Donna Coffey Little
December 4, 2024 by Leave a Comment
February Read of the Month: “Gradle Bird,” by J.C. Sasser
February 28, 2018 by Leave a Comment
Reviewed by Kathleen M. Rodgers Can a savior come in the form of a sixteen-year-old girl in a green prom dress and cat-eyed glasses? A phenomenal debut novel by gifted storyteller J. C. Sasser, Gradle Bird flips southern gothic fiction on its head and turns ghosts stories inside out. Forget everything you thought you knew […]
“The Timekeeper’s Son,” by Sara Baker
September 19, 2017 by Leave a Comment
Reviewed by Molly Hurley Moran Set in the fictional Southern town of Milledge, Georgia, Sara Baker’s luminous novel The Timekeeper’s Son moves beyond the issues and conflicts usually associated with such settings to embrace more universal themes concerning human connection, forgiveness, and grace. The plot revolves around two families who are unknown to each other […]
“South of the Etowah,” by Raymond L. Atkins
December 7, 2016 by Leave a Comment
Reviewed by Daniel James Sundahl The “Etowah” in the title to Raymond L. Atkins’s recently published book refers to a 164-mile-long waterway rising in northwest Georgia to begin flowing south and then west through Rome, Georgia. If one had the interest, one might build a raft and, Huckleberry-like, float along through Alabama down to Mobile […]
“Reckoning and Ruin,” by Tina Whittle
June 17, 2016 by Leave a Comment
Reviewed by Philip K. Jason I have finally caught up with Tina Whittle’s Tai Randolph Mystery series, now in its fifth installment. Set in Atlanta and Savannah, this tale of crime, family, retribution, and Old South/New South contrasts and continuities has plenty of energy and strong characters. It’s main center of interest, however, is not […]