Come Go Home With Me

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Summary: a lesson on dialect
Review: "Sealie" gives a lesson on writing in dialect. Her colorful turns of phrase and sometime odd grammatical use make funny spelling unneccessary while conveying in detail the voices of her home town. I bought this book after hearing Sheila read at Hindman, hoping it was not only her way of reading that made me want more. I wasn't disappointed. The stories -literally dozens of them- are anecdotal; vignettes, really, many from early childhood. All are about growing up in a place where Family and Home mean more than random accidental attachments; so much more. There aren't plots, no intrigue and resolution, but I laughed aloud in places and cried in others, and next time I see Sheila I need to ask about that little "life's secrets revealed" she got from Granny.

Rating:
Summary: Come Go Home With Me
Review: Loved this book. Ms. Adams writes just like she talks. The stories she tells are wonderful. The story of Bertha and the snake handlers is priceless. If you are looking for a good book to share with ever member of the family, as I have, this is the book.

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Summary: An Authentic Appalachian Voice
Review: The author, Sheila Kay Adams, was a consultant for the film Songcatcher. She is responsible for the authenticity of the accents, diction, and singing style of the characters in the movie. So often mountain people are put down as "hokey," ignorant, or trivial. In these stories they reveal their moral strength, their poetic way of expressing themselves, and their perseverance in a challenging environment. Their humor and dignity raise them far above the stereotypes of Snuffy Smith and Li'l Abner. The story of Sheila, as a small girl, and her grandmother having a zen-like moment with a flock of migrating Monarch butterflies is so full of magic, it is worth the price of the book alone.

Rating:
Summary: An Authentic Appalachian Voice
Review: The author, Sheila Kay Adams, was a consultant for the film Songcatcher. She is responsible for the authenticity of the accents, diction, and singing style of the characters in the movie. So often mountain people are put down as "hokey," ignorant, or trivial. In these stories they reveal their moral strength, their poetic way of expressing themselves, and their perseverance in a challenging environment. Their humor and dignity raise them far above the stereotypes of Snuffy Smith and Li'l Abner. The story of Sheila, as a small girl, and her grandmother having a zen-like moment with a flock of migrating Monarch butterflies is so full of magic, it is worth the price of the book alone.

Rating:
Summary: tWONDERFUL MEMORIES
Review: The Publishers Weekley reviewer called this book hokey. They obviously had absolutely no knowledge of Southern Mountain life past or present. The author is a noted storyteller, and this book is a wonderful presentation of Southern stories,songs and real life. I have met Sheila Kay Adams and have heard her storytelling and songs. Reviewers should not attempt to review that of which they have absolutely no knowledge. ELEANOR J, MILLER

Rating:
Summary: Great storytelling
Review: This is a collection of stories, all true, about Sheila Kay Adams' childhood in the kind of North Carolina mountain community that is fading fast, if it hasn't already disappeared. Her warm voice, fine sense of comic writing, sharply-drawn characters, and lovely descriptions all contribute to a collection that is simply but elegantly conceived. The snapshots of life presented here--tragic, hilarious, wondrous--are engaging and moving. It's the kind of book you'll return to. Highly, highly recommended.