About the South

Within the pages of this book are a collection of events and experiences “About the South” which, once perused, will be difficult for the reader to put down.  These collective memories include tragic and heart-rending life on the one hand, and adventure and absolute hilarity on the other, all of which took place within the Jackson family of northwest Georgia.  On the surface, this household appears to be a typical, northwest Georgia farming family of the mid-1900s, but in reality, things often were not quite what they seemed to be.  These events are all true and represent a semi-autobiographical account of the author.

Numerous comedic moments in life are recalled.  In one instance, the author, as a child of five years in age, exercised a small tyke’s vengeance to “imprison” his grandfather in the family’s dairy farm milk-house for some five hours where the elder Jackson was forced to angrily “cool his heels” after having chastised the fearful tiny youngster for a perceived innocent activity.  On another occasion, the two oldest brothers conspire to convince their younger sibling that he can safely jump off the roof of the family home and float gently and unharmed down to the ground beneath a tiny surplus military supplies parachute.  On yet another day, the dynamiting of a troublesome beaver dam on the Jackson farm property almost eliminates more than the dam.  And on separate days of reckoning, the youngest brother finally has an opportunity to wreak vengeance upon his elder sibling in dramatic fashion.

There also were many sad and heart-rending experiences as well.  When “the chips were down” financially, alcoholism (not to mention a fire in the middle of the night) almost destroys the family completely.  After the forces of this evil and subsequent divorce have taken their toll, the youngest son – after being accused and convicted of a “crime” which in reality was no crime at all – is later tragically accidentally poisoned to death; the youngest sister is assaulted, beaten and robbed by thieves; and the family home is almost repossessed when bankruptcy comes knocking on the door.

These and some 20 additional episodes of unusual comedy, high adventure and heart-rending tragedy await the readers of this account of the author’s rise to manhood where even then he continued to experience oft-hilarious and sometimes tragic incidents “About the South” which defy description.