Red Clay & Vinegar: Looking at Family Through the Eyes of a Southern Child

by Naomi Haines Griffith

spiritual inspiration

126 pages, Paperback

First published May 1, 1998

Reviews

[JD Waggy · Rating 2 out of 5]

I know the author, so I've heard some of these stories in person, which made reading them a fun thing. This book, like Naomi, is full of soft remembrances and hard maxims. There is a right way of doing things in this world and this book tells you what they are; there isn't much give for the fact that all of us are raised differently and come to adulthood in different ways. As a Northerner, I found most of this book foreign--which made it interesting, but which also was jarring when a chapter would end in a "and that's how it's supposed to be" kind of way. Many of the chapters did have a sort of ending moral, almost like a fable, which felt heavy-handed. All in all, this was a lovely little book to peek into the post-war rural South, but it's not something that's at all as universal as it thinks it is.

There were a pair of quotes that I really appreciated, though, that I want to draw out:

"Children think the world is like their own family. From infancy, each of us begins to chart our experience of the world, and this chart lives and breathes with family. If the family is a safe place, the world is a safe place. If the family is a violent, mean, unpredictable place, that is exactly what the child thinks the world must be." (46)

"To fall in love, to allow ourselves to feel, to have our hearts fill up and even break, all of this comes as a part of growing up. That's important to remember, but even more important is the recognition that children have as full a range of feelings as adults: sadness, fear, disappointment, confusion, hurt, guilt, joy, excitement. Too often, we as adults assign just two feelings to children--happiness and sadness. In addition, we often downplay, discount, or even ridicule other emotions. This lack of empathy robs a child of the permission to feel all emotions, but also the permission to share all emotions." (104)

[Elise · Rating 4 out of 5]

Part Memoir, part reflection on what it means to raise children to feel secure and resilient. Lovely little book on the power of family connections.

[Love · Rating 4 out of 5]

I only gave it 4 stars because I found a couple of the chapters a bit boring. I thought it was much to short. I guess she did not have much to say :) I REALLy loved the chapter on her social work case. I thought it was GREAT she went and read to a young mother on how to care for her baby. You can't be a good mom unless you have the skills.

[Micki Meadors · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was a gift from a fellow book club member. It was relatively enjoyable, as reminicences go, and short, which is a definite plus. It was not the type of book I would have chosen to read on its own.

[Jennifer]

I enjoyed this little book. Each story struck a note with me that took me back to my childhood. And the way the author links each story to needs of children everywhere is inspiring.