"Little Boy Blues - A Memoir" by Malcolm Jones

North Carolina in the 1950's and 60's was the South. You felt it the moment you got beyond Virginia in those racially charged days. I never thought I would be living there someday. And so it is no surprise that I am an avid follower of Southern memoirs. Rick Bragg is one that comes quickly to mind in connection with this genre.

In "Little Boy Blues" the author, Malcom Jones takes us on a similar path storywise, but his approach is different than any of the others I have read. He seems to have dug deeper in this chronicle of becoming a man. Not an easy task when raised in a home that rivals a Tennesse Williams creation.

A dysfunctional home is like a minefield. You learn the patterns and the signs early. Then you learn how to not trigger any explosions. This was the world in which Mr. Jones was raised.

His parents were vastly different people- his father was frequently absent for days, weeks, or months. His mother was a schoolteacher in Winston-Salem. The whole story takes place in a straight line from Winston-Salem through Statesville and on south to Charlotte and into South Carolina and a town called Lancaster. This line cuts right through where I live in North Carolina. And this lends an unusually realistic sense to the events portrayed.

With a understated style the author takes you with him on a journey of self discovery. Along the way you meet his Aunt and Preacher Uncle, who help raise him. And you come to understand the problems faced by a single mother in 1960's America.

Another interesting aspect to this book is the interplay between husband and wife and how it affects the author. Torn between love for one parent and respect for the other leaves a child cleaved in two. This type of childhood colors your world forever.

Losing Everything by David Lozell Martin

This book has opened up more insights into my own past than even I could have imagined.

The author was raised in West Virginia by a mother who is mentally ill and a father who is abusive enough to have at least contributed to that illness.

This is the story of one mans battle with his own inner demons while acknowledging the demons that stalk us all.

A compelling read, Mr. Martin takes you on a journey of his own life up to and including the point where past meets present and he finds himself in, and reacting in the same way to, all the things that happened in his family as a child.

Together with his brother and sister he retraces the events and the shadows that hung over him while growing up. While reading it I became aware that I had not addressed some of my own childhood demons in my writing.

An accomplished author of fiction, Mr. Martin has written a very telling book, one that must have taken some courage to write. That he faces his demons and takes from them some very valuable insights make this book the gem that it is.

July 4th, 1986

Saturday is July 4th- lots of fireworks and hot dogs and celebrating- especially for me and Sue. We have been married 23 years on the 4th. The license was taken out a few weeks earlier while I was out on my own recognizance for the Great Donut Crime of 1986- I have the Charging Documents to prove it. But that is a seperate story. 23 years with the same person can be trying at times- irritating at others. And sometimes it’s just damn infuriating. But at the end of the day- or 23 years, you always know that there is someone beside you,- or in my case, one step ahead.And when all is said and done we are always waiting for the other one- always weathering a crisis together- seeing things through. Raising kids. Grandkids. Fighting.It all goes together and comes out as 23 years of loving one another. And letting each other know…Happy Anniversary Sue. I love you always,Robert

July 4th,1986

Today is July 4th- lots of fireworks and hot dogs and celebrating- especially for me and Sue. We have been married 23 years today. The license was taken out a few weeks earlier while I was out on my own recognizance for the Great Donut Crime of 1986- I have the Charging Documents to prove it. But that is a seperate story. 23 years with the same person can be trying at times- irritating at others. And sometimes it’s just damn infuriating. But at the end of the day- or 23 years, you always know that there is someone beside you,- or in my case, one step ahead.And when all is said and done we are always waiting for the other one- always weathering a crisis together- seeing things through. Raising kids. Grandkids. Fighting.It all goes together and comes out as 23 years of loving one another. And letting each other know…Happy Anniversary Sue. I love you always,Robert