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Summary: 'Talkin 'bout Mama
Review: "My mother eats things she finds dead on the road. Her standards are high. She claims she won't eat anything that's not a fresh kill. Mama is an adventurous and excellent cook also. We have feasted not only on doves, turkeys, and quail, but robins, squirrels, and, only once, a possum. That's my Mama." This book, "Mama Makes up her Mind," by Bailey White is a hilarious string of stories that reflect on what it was like growing up in the Deep South with her "practical" but funny mother and her siblings. This book had many wonderful qualities. One of the best ones is the book's hilarious and unforgettable characters. Mama encounters many strange characters and learns how to relate to them in her own "unique" way. "I could tell from the fully present look on the top of the artist's glowing bald head that Mama was describing her invention of a cure for male-pattern baldness. She calls it the axillary transplant." The artist in this chapter called "Nonrepresentational Art" was their host and they were on their way home from one of his exhibits in a gallery. This is only one example of the witty ways of Mama.Another quality of this book is it's ability to "paint a picture." The adjectives and form of writing really made me think of an old country house in the South. The dialogue and characters helped also. An example of these elaborate descriptions is about Rosey's restaurant in the following quote from the book. "Rosey's restaurant is a tough juke joint on the edge of the marsh in an old-fashioned part of Florida. At Rosey's you never know whether you're drunk or not because the floors wave up and down anyway. The foundations are sagging and you can eat inside if you can take the smoke or you can eat outside and throw your fish bones down to vulture looking pelicans." This is from the first chapter titled, "Rosey's." Simple, yet suspenseful. While reading this funny book, I found myself simply laughing out loud. It takes you back to Bailey White's childhood and allows you to experience her comical stories and lively characters. Although I fell in love with Mama, I am glad she's not my Mama.
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Summary: My momma's weird, but this one takes the cake
Review: ...and it's not just Baily White's mamma. It's her kith and kin and neighbors and townsfolk and everybody in south Georgia, to hear her tell it. An engaging series of stories about memorable and eccentric folks who seem to populate White's world, this book makes it clear that White is a magnet for those with a story to tell. Lots of these chapters were taken from her All Things Considered sketches on National NPR.
A fun read.
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Summary: Adventurous mama
Review: A collection of short stories depicting the life of the White family with all the absurdities and complications of daily life .. of course through the eyes and mind of White and her family! Reading this book, I really felt like I was watching a comedy.. genuinely funny .. each story ends up with a learned- the- hard -way lesson .. the narration is simple and too close to the heart that you actually can build up the White's house in your mind .. with all the historical monuments laying around for ages.. you can see mama walking in her garden .. the way she talks even move and drive.. a bit sentimental but the overall impression is funny !
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Summary: Teachers, don't miss the Titanic chapter
Review: A lovely, funny, tears-run-down-your-cheeks-because-you-are-laughing-so-hard book. My favorite chapter is where she talks about teaching first graders to read. Her description of all the ways she has been told to teach reading over the years was on the mark. Her description of the "cute" method is hilarious. Her tried and true method is to teach about the Titanic. I used this essay as a read aloud at an inservice for a group of teachers. It was perfect. You will enjoy this book.
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Summary: Southern humor at its best!
Review: I don't know when I have enjoyed a book as much as this one! I've probably read it a dozen times and I never get tired of it. Bailey White captures the real characters that we who were raised in the real South know so well. As a teacher, the chapter about the Titanic really touches my heart. Her mother must have been a real Southern treasure - Bailey White is, too!
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Summary: Southern humor at its best!
Review: I don't know when I have enjoyed a book as much as this one! I've probably read it a dozen times and I never get tired of it. Bailey White captures the real characters that we who were raised in the real South know so well. As a teacher, the chapter about the Titanic really touches my heart. Her mother must have been a real Southern treasure - Bailey White is, too!
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Summary: Great book!!!
Review: I had the privelege of having Bailey White as my first grade teacher (12th grader now). It is kind of funny to read things in the book that I can remember her teaching. Mrs. White is a great teacher and a great author.
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Summary: Funny and truthful
Review: I loved the characters in this book. Very seldom do I laugh out loud when I read, but Mama and her daughters were portrayed so truthfully that I had to chuckle at the reality of it all. I especially enjoy White's depiction of rural southerners. We seem to get a bad reputation in so many novels and movies that it has become quite refreshing to read about kind, intelligent residents of the South. (They do exist, you know.) "Gardening" and "Non-Representational Art" were both particularly memorable.
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Summary: A wonderful book of offbeat essays
Review: It's been a long time since I've read anything that made me chuckle, let alone laugh out loud - but Bailey White's "Mama Makes Up Her Mind" had me doing just that for several stories in this collection, particularly the ones in the first section, the one that deals with her and her life with her mother. There's a story in that section called "Instant Care" that had me rolling on the floor. I can readily identify with Ms. White's mother - she's a real character! There are other stories that are not as funny - but then, they're not meant to be - and they're just as good. I wholeheartedly recommend this book.
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Summary: Mind Mama
Review: Southern living is really dangerous. Random thoughts could get you in a ton of trouble. Mama Makes Up Her Mind by Bailey White is a hilarious memoir about her wacky family. One of the best qualities about the book is the way Bailey White paints the pictures of Mama. You can just see her sitting in her reclining chair, listening to the radio, and reading UFO newsletter or picking up some road kill for dinner. Another great quality is that the characters are easy to relate to. By the end of the book you want to talk to Mama or you wish that Bailey was your 2nd grade teacher. The characters are fun and exciting. The last quality that was really wonderful was that throughout the book you learned many lessons about life. From how great instant-care is to how to deal with 36 first graders on a field trip. Bailey White's life is as entertaining and Mama and the way She describes it is amazing. Mama Makes Up Her Mind was and entertaining group of stories that will make you laugh out loud. Buckle-up, because your about to read a thoroughly eccentric book.
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