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The Creek
"I had met only two or three of the neighboring Crackers when I realized that isolation had done something to these people. . . .They have a primal quality against their background of jungle hammock, moss-hung against the tremendous silence of the scrub country. The only ingredients of their lives are the elemental things."--Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings, March 1930, in a letter to Alfred S. Dashiell of Scribner's Magazine Except for one extended black family and "one writer from up north," folks from Cross Creek were ornery, independent Crackers, J. T. Glisson writes in this memoir of growing up in the backwoods of north-central Florida. The time spanned the late twenties to the early fifties, and isolation and an abundance of mosquitoes and snakes were their claim to fame. The writer was Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings. In her 25 years at the Creek, Miz Rawlings was regarded as "That Woman"--warm, high-strung, and simply eccentric. She drove recklessly, smoked in public, and had "black spells." A Pulitzer Prize did little to change her status. In Cross Creek everyone had space to be a character and every character had a the meanest, laziest, most pregnant, or best cat fisherman. Describing day-to-day life in unaffected prose, Glisson's portraits include Charley, the fisherman who did his banking in a Prince Albert tobacco can nailed to a tree; Bernie Bass, who spoke "perfect Florida Cracker without polish"; Old Blue, young Jake Glisson's nuisance hog; Aunt Martha Mickens, the matriarch of all the blacks at the Creek (including Henry, the first critic to pass judgment on Jake's drawings); and especially Jake's father, Tom, the man whose wisdom, boundless optimism, and colorful speech figure prominently in Rawlings's Cross Creek. (Of his famous neighbor, Tom once commented that "when she gets her tail up above her head, her brain don't work.") Glisson's own finely detailed pencil and pen-and-ink drawings illustrate these vignettes, and he explains that the idea of earning his living as an artist first came to him when he saw Rawlings's books illustrated with such vivid pictures that he could smell the sawgrass, sweat, and gunpowder of the Creek. No One edition of The Yearling--the story of a deer and a boy Jake's own age--was illustrated by N. C. Wyeth, who visited Cross Creek and chatted about drawing ("it's a matter of seeing and practice") while eleven-year-old Jake watched him sketch. Tom Glisson died while his son was enrolled in art school in Sarasota; three years later Miz Rawlings died, and an era ended. Today J. T. Glisson lives four and a half miles from the house where he grew up. When there's a breeze from the south, he writes, he sits on his porch and listens to the soft rustling of palmetto fronds, almost embarrassed by the beauty of his memories. J. T. Glisson has been an illustrator, publisher, and businessman
- GenresNonfictionHistoryMemoir
283 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1993
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Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews
August 6, 2024
This is a most worthy addition to my bookshelf, right beside Cross Creek by Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings. Glisson was born in Cross Creek and Mrs. Rawlings, as he called her, was his neighbor. He was the inspiration for Jody in The Yearling, and there are lots of stories here of Rawlings, but the real stars are his parents and neighbors that lived at the Creek. Born in 1927, Glisson remembered the old ways of the natives, and the result was delightful reading for me. He became an artist and all the illustrations in the book are his, as well as the cover art, but he was no slouch at writing either.
This is a must read for fans of Rawlings, or the old Florida before tourism and the concrete took over.
This is a must read for fans of Rawlings, or the old Florida before tourism and the concrete took over.
November 27, 2017
49. The Creek by J. T. Glisson
published: 1993
format: 267 page Paperback, with cover art and illustrations by the author.
acquired: sent by a friend, and friend of the author, with autograph, in October
read: Nov 17-22
rating: 4
J.T. Glisson is in Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings’ 1942 memoir Cross Creek, her version of his entire boyhood laid out in a paragraph. Cross Creek is a small place in central Florida, somewhere southeast of Gainesville, between two large lakes and made up mostly of swamp, orange groves and wild central Florida woodlands. It’s sparsely populated now, and was even more so then. In Glisson's hand-drawn map from 1940 there are 17 houses over roughly 20 square miles. I think he may have touched on the occupants of all 17 during the course of this book.
Glisson was born in 1927 and basically grew up in a young boys paradise in 1930’s Cross Creek. The Great Depression didn’t really touch this area, which had cleared out long before after a freeze killed the orange groves, which take many years to regrow. What was left were several subsistence families living off what they could grow and, for cash, what fish they could catch and sell, all of which were caught illegally. (“We didn’t play cowboys-and-Indians at Cross Creek. We played fisherman-and-game-wardens”) These are the Florida crackers described in Rawlings’ books. Glisson and his siblings had chores, but otherwise had free reign of the area and all the wonders and dangers nature and an odd but tight rural community could offer—plus he had a nationally famous author next door. His life was akin to that of Tom Sawyer, but over 50 years later with automobiles and a world war on the way.
If you believe Glisson, his 11 year old self stumbled across N.C. Wyeth, father of Andrew Wyeth and illustrator of The Yearling, sketching Cross Creek; and he later poured through the book when it showed up on his front porch, neglecting all chores for a full afternoon. Then his 15 year-old self would be shocked to read about himself, by name, and his own family and community when a copy of Cross Creek showed up and he went through the same obsessive read.
The era would end all too soon as the war came and several of the community, what had become a self-constructed family, would pass away in a variety of accidents. (Although almost every male of age in Cross Creek joined the military during WWII, only one was killed in action). Rawlings herself died of a cerebral hemorrhage in 1953 (she was 57), firmly closing the era she recorded.
I would like to leave a sense of the the magic of this book in my review, but it’s hard to do that. There is an entire world here that is associated with but not actually captured in that of Rawling’s book. And it’s told in a form of a series of adventures, keeping us readers intimately involved. Notably Glisson captures Rawlings herself, through time and from an evolving perspective, bringing out some of the complexity of the spirited high strung outsider she always was in Cross Creek.
It’s always uncomfortable for me when I’m given a book by the author. In this case, I was talking to a friend, who is also close friend of a distant family member, who recently moved to Cross Creek and offered to get me a copy of this book which I had never heard of, signed to me by the author whose existence was a sentence in a book I once read, and delivered free of charge. So I was expecting anything, but I wasn’t expecting this to be a mature work of, as far as I know, an otherwise unpublished author but well regarded illustrator. The introduction talks about how Glisson sat on this book because he was afraid to publish it in the shadow of Rawlings. He finally published it in 1993 and it’s gone through several printings. J.T. Glisson is no secret. You can find videos of him getting interviewed online, including on NPR.
I can strongly recommend this to anyone interested in Majorie Kinnan Rawlings or in the history of this area, or in all the various micro worlds that make up Florida because they aren’t all weird. Some areas are quite wonderful. But I can also recommend this to anyone that just wants a magical well-written memoir that you might find yourself sad to finish. Grateful to have read this.
published: 1993
format: 267 page Paperback, with cover art and illustrations by the author.
acquired: sent by a friend, and friend of the author, with autograph, in October
read: Nov 17-22
rating: 4
J.T. Glisson is in Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings’ 1942 memoir Cross Creek, her version of his entire boyhood laid out in a paragraph. Cross Creek is a small place in central Florida, somewhere southeast of Gainesville, between two large lakes and made up mostly of swamp, orange groves and wild central Florida woodlands. It’s sparsely populated now, and was even more so then. In Glisson's hand-drawn map from 1940 there are 17 houses over roughly 20 square miles. I think he may have touched on the occupants of all 17 during the course of this book.
Glisson was born in 1927 and basically grew up in a young boys paradise in 1930’s Cross Creek. The Great Depression didn’t really touch this area, which had cleared out long before after a freeze killed the orange groves, which take many years to regrow. What was left were several subsistence families living off what they could grow and, for cash, what fish they could catch and sell, all of which were caught illegally. (“We didn’t play cowboys-and-Indians at Cross Creek. We played fisherman-and-game-wardens”) These are the Florida crackers described in Rawlings’ books. Glisson and his siblings had chores, but otherwise had free reign of the area and all the wonders and dangers nature and an odd but tight rural community could offer—plus he had a nationally famous author next door. His life was akin to that of Tom Sawyer, but over 50 years later with automobiles and a world war on the way.
If you believe Glisson, his 11 year old self stumbled across N.C. Wyeth, father of Andrew Wyeth and illustrator of The Yearling, sketching Cross Creek; and he later poured through the book when it showed up on his front porch, neglecting all chores for a full afternoon. Then his 15 year-old self would be shocked to read about himself, by name, and his own family and community when a copy of Cross Creek showed up and he went through the same obsessive read.
The era would end all too soon as the war came and several of the community, what had become a self-constructed family, would pass away in a variety of accidents. (Although almost every male of age in Cross Creek joined the military during WWII, only one was killed in action). Rawlings herself died of a cerebral hemorrhage in 1953 (she was 57), firmly closing the era she recorded.
I would like to leave a sense of the the magic of this book in my review, but it’s hard to do that. There is an entire world here that is associated with but not actually captured in that of Rawling’s book. And it’s told in a form of a series of adventures, keeping us readers intimately involved. Notably Glisson captures Rawlings herself, through time and from an evolving perspective, bringing out some of the complexity of the spirited high strung outsider she always was in Cross Creek.
It’s always uncomfortable for me when I’m given a book by the author. In this case, I was talking to a friend, who is also close friend of a distant family member, who recently moved to Cross Creek and offered to get me a copy of this book which I had never heard of, signed to me by the author whose existence was a sentence in a book I once read, and delivered free of charge. So I was expecting anything, but I wasn’t expecting this to be a mature work of, as far as I know, an otherwise unpublished author but well regarded illustrator. The introduction talks about how Glisson sat on this book because he was afraid to publish it in the shadow of Rawlings. He finally published it in 1993 and it’s gone through several printings. J.T. Glisson is no secret. You can find videos of him getting interviewed online, including on NPR.
I can strongly recommend this to anyone interested in Majorie Kinnan Rawlings or in the history of this area, or in all the various micro worlds that make up Florida because they aren’t all weird. Some areas are quite wonderful. But I can also recommend this to anyone that just wants a magical well-written memoir that you might find yourself sad to finish. Grateful to have read this.
November 30, 2017
Wasn't expecting to enjoy this as much as I did . . . a friend loaned it to me, it's the story of a "Cross Creek" native growing up in rural, backwoods Florida during the 1930s and 1940s, as a neighbor of Marjorie Kinnon Rawlings. Glisson writes extremely well & has good stories to tell; he's very good at bringing people and scenery to life. Also good to hear about Cross Creek from a Cracker native. He's always very respectful of Mrs. Rawlings but does bring a different perspective of the area and its people. Charming illustrations by the author but writing is first rate, too.
March 5, 2012
Immensely enjoyable and entertaining! I found myself thoroughly immersed/implanted in the hammocks and lakes with the writer and his friends. The one thing that clearly stands out for me is the comraderie the inhabitants of Cross Creek endured (through good and bad). I wonder if there is such a place that exists in these days and times, and if so, I'd like to be a part of that wonderful and inviting environment.
February 4, 2020
I just loved being taking back in time to such a simple life. They took what life gave them and made the best out of it. They took care of themselves and those that lived around them. A time when men work so hard to provide a living for their families and women took pride in their homes and made do with what they have.
August 2, 2020
Amazing. This book is better than Cross Creek, partly because it is Real! And beautifully written. The stories transported me to a time and place in "Old Florida" that will stay in my memory forever. The author died last year, but plenty of interviews with him still exist online, for those who want to hear directly from the lips of an old-timer who got to grow up in Real Florida in the 1930s.
January 29, 2016
My friend Allen Shadd and I have fished Lake Lochloosa and Orange Lake many, many times. He recently recommended this book and I'm glad he did. Wonderful stories of life on Cross Creek in the 1930's. Real rural Florida, real people.
October 11, 2016
To me this book is even more fun to read than Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings's Cross Creek. Lot more complete view of the rural community at the creek. Don't know if Marjorie would have been too pleased with her portrayal.
May 8, 2019
If you love old Flroida, this is your book!
June 11, 2023
I enjoyed this book to the last page. Amazing journey of a family settling in remote and wild Florida.
May 5, 2019
Since this is an autobiography, but also touches on aspects of Marjorie Kinnan Rawling's life at Cross Creek, FL, it is quite absorbing. A youngster's viewpoint of the famous author, a viewpoint now tempered with age, is presented--along with the young boy's escapades as he grows into manhood. Glisson lived at Cross Creek when he wrote the book--having returned to his childhood stomping grounds. The changes that time caused because of climate alterations and industrialization are not good ones so far for the region. One would be hard-pressed to survive as these early settlers and their immediate descendants did. Rawlings is portrayed as stubborn and rather hot-tempered, but the stubborness allowed her to fit in with her neighbors. Several scenes from her novel The Yearling were inspired by Glisson's activities as a youth. This book is a nice counterpoint to her own book Cross Creek. I enjoyed it!
August 13, 2019
Where has this gem been hiding all these years? I've read Cross Creek and other works by Marjorie Rawlings but was unaware of J.T. Glisson's memoir until I noticed it on my sister's bedside stand. It isn't exclusively about Marjorie, but about life in Cross Creek before the community was invaded by the outside world. It shows a side of Marjorie that she didn't show the world, which I found intriguing, and a collection of fascinating and colorful characters, including J.T. himself.
In those days, Cross Creek was isolated. The people lived by their own rules which were sensible and just, if not always following the letter of the law. They made their living off the land, which was beautiful but could be harsh and unforgiving. J.T. knew his neighbors intimately and brings them to life, sharing their exploits as well as their sorrows. I highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a good, true to life tale.
In those days, Cross Creek was isolated. The people lived by their own rules which were sensible and just, if not always following the letter of the law. They made their living off the land, which was beautiful but could be harsh and unforgiving. J.T. knew his neighbors intimately and brings them to life, sharing their exploits as well as their sorrows. I highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a good, true to life tale.
March 1, 2021
Good Book. I have driven on CR20 between Gainsville, Hawthorne and Palatka. I remember seeing signs for Cow Hammock and thought, what an interesting name. Now I know about it and Island Grove and Citra and the rest of the area that make up Cross Creek. J.T. was born and raised here and this book is about him, his family and all the other inhabitants, including Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings, author of The yearling and Cross Creek and known as "That Woman". The men gather on the one lane bridge daily to discuss things. They live off the land, battling with insects, snakes and trying to out smart the game wardens . A charming, sometimes humorous story of "old Florida" from the 1920s to the 1950s.
May 16, 2020
I love a true story that honors the place, the time and the people so highly that you know the unique experience only happened by God's design.
The author captured the relationships and culture of a simple community where he grew up. Honest people settled their differences peaceably by meeting on the bridge. Nature was appreciated for its provision and battled for its power to ruin you.
I especially loved the wisdom shared from crusty, experienced elders that spent time teaching and guiding the writer as a boy.
Visiting The Creek through J.T. Glisson's memories was delightful!
The author captured the relationships and culture of a simple community where he grew up. Honest people settled their differences peaceably by meeting on the bridge. Nature was appreciated for its provision and battled for its power to ruin you.
I especially loved the wisdom shared from crusty, experienced elders that spent time teaching and guiding the writer as a boy.
Visiting The Creek through J.T. Glisson's memories was delightful!
January 7, 2023
This novel was a perfect pairing to Cross Creek. It shared so much information about true life residents of The Creek and explained a lot of how Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings would have lived her life in the community. It was touching, funny, and heartbreaking throughout the pages. Mr. Glisson lived a remarkable Florida boy's life during a time where survival depended on the goodness of your neighbors.
July 29, 2018
Enjoyed this memoir from a Cracker perspective about the place MKR made famous in her novel The Yearling. The stories about the author's family and others who live there as well as the illustrations make this memoir special. Especially worth reading if you are a FL native or familiar with the area described.
May 17, 2024
If you loved Cross Creek by Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings, you're guaranteed to love this one just as much. Glisson was the child neighbor of MKR, and his stories are told from his young perspective. Poignant, funny, and surprising, this is small town America and back woods Florida as it will never be again.
March 8, 2018
Knowing this area of Florida made this an especially enjoyable read. Wonderful memoir of small central Florida town during the Depression, when the residents didn't know they know they were poor because their lives were so rich. Author was neighbor of Pulitzer Prize winner Marjorie Kinnan Rawlins.
May 3, 2020
The writer was neighbor to Marjorie Rawlings and continued her story of the characters at Cross Creek. Such amazing lives and community in this little town. I really enjoyed the book and plan on a trip to Cross Creek myself.
September 24, 2019
I loved this book. I have visited Cross Creek several times in the last three years. I am amazed at the resiliency if the people who have lived there.
August 26, 2020
What a wonderful well written story about a time gone by. Located in the swamp area of Florida that many people don't know about. Where honor and your word is what you lived by.
July 6, 2013
I really enjoyed The Creek. I found it so interesting to read about Cross Creek but from a different point of view. As my friend Tracy said "I liked the idea of reading the recollections of a "native" as opposed to someone that came there as an adult."
November 17, 2021
I enjoyed this read. It was interesting to get another view of life at Cross Creek (I'd read Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings Cross Creek), a view into a pioneer lifestyle, not far from St Augustine. And the author does a fabulous job with the illustrations!
Currently reading
February 18, 2009Based on the Rawling Cross Creek story. The author was a neighbor of Ms. Rawling and gives a different perceptive on life in old Florida
November 21, 2010
His memories of Cross Creek. I read most of this book while staying at the Herlong Inn in Mianopy Florida in Feb. 2000. -- Good
April 21, 2018
This a great companion book to Marjorie Kennan Rawlings' "Cross Creek"
Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews