Mississippi has a bad rep for a lot of reasons. However, there are a lot of things that I love about Mississippi. I love Starkville. I love cowbells and the Bulldogs - win or lose. I love traveling the state highways through the unincorporated areas, where you may not pass another car for miles. I love the rivers with names like Chickasawhay, where it takes very little imagination to visualize Faulkner’s Bundren family attempting to cross the river with that coffin. I love the coast; with its bayous full of herons stalking along the grasses and alligators gliding through the water. Mostly, though, I love our people in Mississippi. Cecil George Brown is one of our people, known affectionately as Simba.
While most of us were walking our dogs, making sourdough bread, and binge-watching Netflix during the pandemic, Cecil George was writing a book. The result of that endeavor is “D’Leaux Mississippi - Life from Moss to Tuckertown: A Novel in Stories.”
I enjoyed this book for so many reasons, but primarily because it felt like home. I didn’t grow up in Mississippi. I grew up in small-town-South-Georgia. I grew up where people showed up (and still do) with fried chicken and pimento cheese sandwiches. I grew up where we had the Miss Georgia Peanut Pageant in the high school gym every October and gave to the Lottie Moon offering at Christmas. I grew up where my grandfather placed his jacket over my older sister’s legs when she wore a mini skirt to church. I grew up where my matron-of-honor had a Baby Ruth and a Dr. Pepper for me on the day of my wedding. Every story in this book touched my heart. Some of them made me laugh-out-loud, and some of them made me a little teary, but all of them were wonderful.
Even if you are not from small-town-somewhere, even if you don’t understand the whole double name thing and have never met a Wi’nelle, a Thelmanell, or a Vaudeen, even if you have never had a Shipley doughnut … but you understand that secrets are meant to be kept, that friends can be false, and that kindness is important - especially when it’s difficult - you are certain to embrace Cecil McRae Britton as she observes, learns, and comes of age in D’Leaux, Mississippi.
Enjoy! And if you have the opportunity, don’t pass up a Shipley doughnut!
by Nancy Carstens
While most of us were walking our dogs, making sourdough bread, and binge-watching Netflix during the pandemic, Cecil George was writing a book. The result of that endeavor is “D’Leaux Mississippi - Life from Moss to Tuckertown: A Novel in Stories.”
I enjoyed this book for so many reasons, but primarily because it felt like home. I didn’t grow up in Mississippi. I grew up in small-town-South-Georgia. I grew up where people showed up (and still do) with fried chicken and pimento cheese sandwiches. I grew up where we had the Miss Georgia Peanut Pageant in the high school gym every October and gave to the Lottie Moon offering at Christmas. I grew up where my grandfather placed his jacket over my older sister’s legs when she wore a mini skirt to church. I grew up where my matron-of-honor had a Baby Ruth and a Dr. Pepper for me on the day of my wedding. Every story in this book touched my heart. Some of them made me laugh-out-loud, and some of them made me a little teary, but all of them were wonderful.
Even if you are not from small-town-somewhere, even if you don’t understand the whole double name thing and have never met a Wi’nelle, a Thelmanell, or a Vaudeen, even if you have never had a Shipley doughnut … but you understand that secrets are meant to be kept, that friends can be false, and that kindness is important - especially when it’s difficult - you are certain to embrace Cecil McRae Britton as she observes, learns, and comes of age in D’Leaux, Mississippi.
Enjoy! And if you have the opportunity, don’t pass up a Shipley doughnut!
by Nancy Carstens
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