Review: Stories of the South from one woman's eyes
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 06 25, 2014
Linda Walker starts out her collection of short stories by stating that these stories are not meant to be grand literature, or Pulitzer Prize winners... she just wanted to share funny stories. And she has succeeded in this, even as her stories reflect the simple yet amusing ways of the South.Were you aware that in the South, everyone owns a truck?  It's a requirement.  And shopping carts?  Those are buggies. And that obnoxious large-chested annoying woman at the airport is probably not the wife of the man she's with.... Bless her heart.Two things popped out at me right away in this collection. The first is Linda's emphasis on how people take care of each other.  From tripping over a curb late at night at an airport to rescuing a camper who passed out from dehydration, you just need to ask.  Or in some cases, just look desperate.The second thing from this book that I will always remember, comes from Linda's story about vacationing in Biloxi. In this story, we learn of a grandmother who hangs clothes from a hotel sprinkler, setting the sprinkler off and setting the fire alarm off for the entire hotel. At the end of the story, the author goes back to the hotel a few years later and sees a sign alerting people not to hang clothes on the sprinkler. I died laughing during this story, but luckily I was able to come back to life to explain what made this so funny to me:My husband & I have stayed at a number of hotels and motels: From moving him cross-country, from the different conventions we attend, and also from the vacations we've been on.  And in a number of hotels, we've seen a little sign, reminding people not to hang anything on the sprinkler.  The first time we saw it, we cracked up, trying to figure out how anyone would be silly enough to hang anything from what was obviously a sprinkler/fire alarm.  Because if there is a warning sign anywhere, it's because someone did whatever it's warning you against....  (Now go think about those signs you've seen about not using your hair dryer in the shower, and wonder about the person who caused that warning label to be added...)And now we know who is the reason for those sprinkler signs.Even if I didn't laugh at every story in the book, I enjoyed them all.  Some are heartwarming and show the kindness of the people involved. Some show the stubbornness of the South. Some are just packed with humor. Regardless of the subject, however, the flavor of the culture and the author's sense of humor shine in every story, making this is fun and interesting collection to read.