Chris's review
Tobacco Road by Erskine Caldwell
I wasn't sure whether to laugh or cry for this family of beyond-dirt-poor, ignorant, Georgian farmers who only know how to do one thing well--fornicate. Jeeter Lester (who gets my vote for the laziest man in literature) and his wife, Ada have 12 surviving children, including a 12 year-old daughter who has recently been married off to the neighbor (who is puzzled about what to do because she won't sleep with him). Only two are still home when the story opens, 16-year old Dude and 18-year old Ellie May (only because she has a harelip) but even they find greener pastures by the end of the story.
Erskine Caldwell wrote this humorously but when you think that there were (and still might be? don't tell me!) people out "in them thar hills" who are this poor, this ignorant and have this much disregard and disrespect for human life (due to the hopelessness of it all), it is rather heartbreaking...I guess they call that black humor, don't they? Duh
Erskine Caldwell wrote this humorously but when you think that there were (and still might be? don't tell me!) people out "in them thar hills" who are this poor, this ignorant and have this much disregard and disrespect for human life (due to the hopelessness of it all), it is rather heartbreaking...I guess they call that black humor, don't they? Duh
