Overview
"Many of Alabama's finest stories used to begin with a reference to 'the night the stars fell,' and even now there is an inclination among some residents to divide local history into two segments: before the stars fell and after the stars fell. That would make November 13, 1833, the dividing line. "Thousands of Alabamians, thinking the end of the world was at hand when they saw the heavenly spectacle, fell to their knees to plead for mercy and forgiveness. Others promised eternal renunciation of sin (card playing, dancing, whiskey drinking, cursing, and associated vices) if they were spared whatever catastrophes were in the offing. Still others jumped upon horses and tried to outrace the fearful menace they believed was pursuing them."That night, the night the stars fell, may have branded Alabama as a strange land, her people forever set apart by a horoscope of enchantment and turmoil. Some historians, sociologists, romanticists, astrologists, and conjure women say so. Maybe it did. It was quite a night." "Storytelling spots aren't all on front porches: they're any place where storytellers gather. But the best stories are a family's very own tales, stories whose humor and pathos provide nostalgic links with kinfolk who were here awhile ago."
Synopsis
First published in 1975 and long out of print, this book is now reissued in a handsome new edition. Alabama is like one big front porch where folks gather on summer nights to tell tales. It s a sprawling porch stretching from the Tennessee River Valley to the sandy Gulf beaches. In this book, Mrs. Windham takes readers on a tour of the history, people, and places of the heart of Dixie. The stories are alike in their unmistakable Southern blend of exaggeration, humor, pathos, folklore, and romanticism with family history woven in.
Kathryn Tucker Windham was one of the first women daily newspaper reporters in Alabama. After a successful career as a journalist, she turned to writing books of ghost stories and folklore. She has been a featured commentator on National Public Radio. She lives in Selma, Alabama.
Booknews
A reprint of the 1975 edition published by Strode Publishers, Huntsville. On Alabama social life, customs, folklore. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)