Southern Memoirs

Mixing memoir, a wellness program, and inspirational advice, Randy Jackson's book is a work of personal passion.

The American Idol judge's struggles with his health and weight have been well - documented; he's tried every diet, spent countless hours in gyms, and even had gastric bypass surgery in 2003. Now, he's taken all that he's learned throughout these trials and codified their strengths into an easy-to-follow, super-useful maintenance regimen, filled with meal plans and exercise routines.

Written in the form of a letter to her granddaughter, the author of this little book describes her plantation childhood, her marriage and parenthood, and her experiences during the Civil War and Reconstruction. In response to what she believed were misconceptions about antebellum Southern slavery, she argues that while some slaveholders were cruel, the majority were conscientious about the well-being of their servants and looked upon them as members of the household.

Through anecdotal humor, Jim Lindsey shares tales of growing up in the South; life in Hollywood as an actor, model, and advertising executive; falling in and out of love; raising children; and living in the turbulent times we face. In poems and jokes, quotes and stories, Jim paints a picture of a long life lived within the wide boundaries of love and loss, joy and sorrow. He shares his story so that listeners are taken back to a simpler era in our nation and given inspiration to return to those roots.

Throughout Maya Angelou’s life, from her childhood in Stamps, Arkansas, to her world travels as a bestselling writer, good food has played a central role. Preparing and enjoying homemade meals provides a sense of purpose and calm, accomplishment and connection. Now in Hallelujah! The Welcome Table, Angelou shares memories pithy and poignant—and the recipes that helped to make them both indelible and irreplaceable.

Lee St. John is a she-devil with a halo, a Southern Belle who doesn't play by the rules, and a prankster setting her next trap. But like a train wreck, we can't help but peek at her shenanigans. She is just plain naughty but with a heart. The mementos found in her closet, attic, basement, and even her school classroom unleash her secrets about mothers, husbands, former boyfriends, children, friends, jobs, families, students, and more.

This audiobook tells the story of the Brown family of Caswell County, NC, and their journey over four generations, captured in short stories, vignettes, and whimsical narrative glimpses. The Brown family’s journey began two generations earlier with my grandmother’s grandmother, Queen Evans, who was kidnapped in Africa and brought to North Carolina as a slave on a plantation of a White slave owner. One of the many duties of Queen, the seven-year-old enslaved girl, was to serve as a “foot-warmer”.

How would you be affected if your mother died giving your life? And how would such a loss affect your children? These questions are the foundation of many issues raised by the author in her search for the missing pieces of a grandmother who in 1905 died giving the author's mother life. It was a tragedy that seemed to affect multiple generations, the voids in identity and ill-spent guilt flowing from the stream of blood that kept mother from daughter, and then from granddaughter. But it was a search well-spent.

Before you listen to any of this book, Jimmie asks your permission to speak freely. If you wear your feelings on your sleeves, he asks you to go topless. Now grab a beverage of your choice, sit back, and let's experience life in the Deep South through the eyes of a Black man. This book takes both prose and poetry and walks you through life experiences and living in a culture where color still makes a difference.

Krista Doyle grew up in a small town in Louisiana where everyone was a gossip and a devout church goer. She attended church every Sunday where she listened to her grandfather preach from the stage, where she sang hymns from the audience as her mother led the choir, and where she was strictly taught that everything was black and white, right and wrong. So - how was Krista to cope with being a lesbian?

I met Amber when I moved across the street from her. As I got to know her, I learned some things about myself. My goal in writing this book is to help anyone that is going through the loss of a loved one or has lost someone. This is not just my own personal journey through grief, but a message of hope and love and a love that survived beyond death. This book is a memoir of personal reflections of the beginning, middle, and end of a soulful relationship between two women and a connection which brought about valuable lessons from love, life, grief, and letting go.

In Snippets of Truths, author Mary Hardy shares the stories of her youth while growing up in rural Southern Mississippi in the '50s and '60s. A collection of anecdotes and vignettes, this memoir narrates the memorable experiences of Hardy's childhood. From the large to the small, and from the ordinary and everyday to the remarkable, Snippets of Truths recalls a wide array of events living on a farm, working in the fields, attending school, participating as a majorette, becoming homecoming queen, making homemade ice cream, and creating dolls out of Coca Cola bottles.

Spend an evening with famous southern writer Rick Bragg, listening to him as I did, then wonder as I did, why there wasn't a black face in the house. Maybe there isn't a reason. Maybe there is. Rick Bragg says that no writer tells the whole truth. I tried to...As I saw it. That didn't go over to well...With a special someone in Rick's life. As you will see.

Come spend Memorial Day at a small city in the Deep South. You may be surprised at what you see and hear. I was.

This biography uncovers the life of Charles Olan Thrash, a man who wore two faces. In the daylight, he was a husband, father, neighbor, friend. But in the shadows, he was accused of being something far more dangerous—an alleged hitman tied to the notorious Dixie Mafia. Based on public records, news archives, police reports, and historical records, this narrative dives into the real events, arrests, and mysteries that surrounded his name. From small-town Louisiana to Southern prison yards and courtroom drama, this book explores how one man could live two lives—and almost get away with it.