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An Alabama Christmas
"An Alabama Christmas" offers a glimpse into the hearts of Alabamans as they gather to observe and treasure this special holiday, including heartwarming tales from Truman Capote, Helen Keller, Sonny Brewer and more.
191 pages, Hardcover
About the author
Truman Capote
371 books7,498 followersLibrarian Note: There is more than one author by this name in the Goodreads database.
Truman Capote was an American writer whose non-fiction, stories, novels and plays are recognised literary classics, including the novella Breakfast at Tiffany's (1958) and In Cold Blood (1965), which he labeled a "non-fiction novel." At least 20 films and TV dramas have been produced from Capote novels, stories and screenplays.
He was born as Truman Streckfus Persons to a salesman Archulus Persons and young Lillie Mae. His parents divorced when he was four and he went to live with his mother's relatives in Monroeville, Alabama. He was a lonely child who learned to read and write by himself before entering school. In 1933, he moved to New York City to live with his mother and her new husband, Joseph Capote, a Cuban-born businessman. Mr. Capote adopted Truman, legally changing his last name to Capote and enrolling him in private school. After graduating from high school in 1942, Truman Capote began his regular job as a copy boy at The New Yorker. During this time, he also began his career as a writer, publishing many short stories which introduced him into a circle of literary critics. His first novel, Other Voices, Other Rooms, published in 1948, stayed on The New York Times bestseller list for nine weeks and became controversial because of the photograph of Capote used to promote the novel, posing seductively and gazing into the camera.
In the 1950s and 1960s, Capote remained prolific producing both fiction and non-fiction. His masterpiece, In Cold Blood, a story about the murder of the Clutter family in Holcomb, Kansas, was published in 1966 in book form by Random House, became a worldwide success and brought Capote much praise from the literary community. After this success he published rarely and suffered from alcohol addiction. He died in 1984 at age 59.
Truman Capote was an American writer whose non-fiction, stories, novels and plays are recognised literary classics, including the novella Breakfast at Tiffany's (1958) and In Cold Blood (1965), which he labeled a "non-fiction novel." At least 20 films and TV dramas have been produced from Capote novels, stories and screenplays.
He was born as Truman Streckfus Persons to a salesman Archulus Persons and young Lillie Mae. His parents divorced when he was four and he went to live with his mother's relatives in Monroeville, Alabama. He was a lonely child who learned to read and write by himself before entering school. In 1933, he moved to New York City to live with his mother and her new husband, Joseph Capote, a Cuban-born businessman. Mr. Capote adopted Truman, legally changing his last name to Capote and enrolling him in private school. After graduating from high school in 1942, Truman Capote began his regular job as a copy boy at The New Yorker. During this time, he also began his career as a writer, publishing many short stories which introduced him into a circle of literary critics. His first novel, Other Voices, Other Rooms, published in 1948, stayed on The New York Times bestseller list for nine weeks and became controversial because of the photograph of Capote used to promote the novel, posing seductively and gazing into the camera.
In the 1950s and 1960s, Capote remained prolific producing both fiction and non-fiction. His masterpiece, In Cold Blood, a story about the murder of the Clutter family in Holcomb, Kansas, was published in 1966 in book form by Random House, became a worldwide success and brought Capote much praise from the literary community. After this success he published rarely and suffered from alcohol addiction. He died in 1984 at age 59.
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
December 11, 2013
Even though I was born and raised in Texas, I consider myself an honorary Alabamaian - my husband's family are from Alabama and through frequent visits over the years, I have fallen in love with the beautiful state. When we were there this past summer, I happened to find a little treasure of a book, "An Alabama Christmas," and knew I had to have it. I have kept this slender volume safe until the holiday season, anxiously awaiting the enjoyment I knew I would find in the pages - and I wasn't disappointed at all.
Selections from famed Alabama authors Truman Capote, Helen Keller and Mary Ward Brown can be found among essays from other lesser-known but equally as talented writers. And stories from all over the state, from Perry County to Talladaga to Hoover, all tell about the celebration of Christmas in the Deep South.
I particularly enjoyed the story from Nell Brasher about the charming older couple and their shopping adventures and the tale from Kyle Strickland relating his experiences working at Riverchase Mall (one of the largest in the South) during the holiday season.
All of the stories found in "An Alabama Christmas" reflect the charm and tradition of Alabama, and bring back fond memories of time spent there. If you are from the South, you'll love and relate to these stories, and if you're not privileged to have visited the beautiful state, then this book will give a glimpse and a taste of what you've been missing.
Selections from famed Alabama authors Truman Capote, Helen Keller and Mary Ward Brown can be found among essays from other lesser-known but equally as talented writers. And stories from all over the state, from Perry County to Talladaga to Hoover, all tell about the celebration of Christmas in the Deep South.
I particularly enjoyed the story from Nell Brasher about the charming older couple and their shopping adventures and the tale from Kyle Strickland relating his experiences working at Riverchase Mall (one of the largest in the South) during the holiday season.
All of the stories found in "An Alabama Christmas" reflect the charm and tradition of Alabama, and bring back fond memories of time spent there. If you are from the South, you'll love and relate to these stories, and if you're not privileged to have visited the beautiful state, then this book will give a glimpse and a taste of what you've been missing.
January 17, 2022
I picked up this little volume expecting charming nostalgic Christmas stories from the South. Some of the stories were sad and some seemed almost unfinished. The exceptions were the stories by Helen Keller and Truman Copote. It was not a super impressive collection for me.
February 9, 2017
I’m a sucker for Christmas books and stories. It probably started in childhood with How the Grinch Stole Christmas!, and has just grown over the years. Every Christmas, I not only reread the Grinch Book, but also Dickens’ A Christmas Carol, The Chimes and The Cricket on the Hearth, and usually some other Christmas books and stories. When I saw this book at a used book store, I just had to have it to add to my collection of Christmas reading. Boy, was I disappointed!!
First of all, the quality of the writing of most of these stories is about what I’d expect to see from a Writing 101 course - half-fulfilled ideas, stilted prose, and even poor grammar!! (For example, using “loose” instead of “lose”.) The only two selections that rose above this were those by Helen Keller and Truman Capote, but even these stories lacked much emotion. I like my Christmas stories to tug at my heartstrings, and these failed to do so, though the Keller story was at least interesting. Some of the stories weren’t half bad, but there wasn’t really any one that made me want to keep this book for rereading.
But these complaints are not what earns this book a one-star rating. No, this book deserves the worst rating because of the story “Christmas on the Old Plantation” by Idora McClellan Moore. This story relates what the author believes is a warm, nostalgic Christmas on a Southern plantation. But the story is full of such awful stereotypes that I had to wonder if I’d been transported back in time to the 1800’s!! There’s the white family who owns the plantation, who magnanimously allows the blacks on the plantation to come to the “big house” on Christmas day to each receive a token gift. There’s the description of the “childlike” blacks celebrating in their own style, and the horrible ways the blacks are portrayed as serving their white “masters” - though, at least the author was aware enough not to call them masters, but it was evident in context. The whole story just turned my stomach.
Do not buy this book. Do not read this book. It’s a waste of your time. There are MUCH better Christmas books out there!
First of all, the quality of the writing of most of these stories is about what I’d expect to see from a Writing 101 course - half-fulfilled ideas, stilted prose, and even poor grammar!! (For example, using “loose” instead of “lose”.) The only two selections that rose above this were those by Helen Keller and Truman Capote, but even these stories lacked much emotion. I like my Christmas stories to tug at my heartstrings, and these failed to do so, though the Keller story was at least interesting. Some of the stories weren’t half bad, but there wasn’t really any one that made me want to keep this book for rereading.
But these complaints are not what earns this book a one-star rating. No, this book deserves the worst rating because of the story “Christmas on the Old Plantation” by Idora McClellan Moore. This story relates what the author believes is a warm, nostalgic Christmas on a Southern plantation. But the story is full of such awful stereotypes that I had to wonder if I’d been transported back in time to the 1800’s!! There’s the white family who owns the plantation, who magnanimously allows the blacks on the plantation to come to the “big house” on Christmas day to each receive a token gift. There’s the description of the “childlike” blacks celebrating in their own style, and the horrible ways the blacks are portrayed as serving their white “masters” - though, at least the author was aware enough not to call them masters, but it was evident in context. The whole story just turned my stomach.
Do not buy this book. Do not read this book. It’s a waste of your time. There are MUCH better Christmas books out there!
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews