Among the Swamp People: Life in Alabama's Mobile-Tensaw River Delta

by Watt Key, Kelan Mercer (Illustrations)

Among the Swamp People is the story of author Watt Key’s discovery of the Mobile-Tensaw River Delta. “The swamp” consists of almost 260,000 acres of wetlands located just north of Mobile Bay. There he leases a habitable outcropping of land and constructs a primitive cabin from driftwood to serve as a private getaway. His story is one that chronicles the beauties of the delta’s unparalleled natural wonders, the difficulties of survival within it, and an extraordinary community of characters—by turns generous and violent, gracious and paranoid, hilarious and reckless—who live, thrive, and perish there.
 
There is no way into the delta except by small boat. To most it would appear a maze of rivers and creeks between stunted swamp trees and mud. Key observes that there are few places where one can step out of a boat without “sinking to the knees in muck the consistency of axle grease. It is the only place I know where gloom and beauty can coexist at such extremes. And it never occurred to me that a land seemingly so bleak could hide such beauty and adventure.”
 
It also chronicles Key’s maturation as a writer, from a twenty-five-year-old computer programmer with no formal training as a writer to a highly successful, award-winning writer of fiction for a young adult audience with three acclaimed novels published to date.
 
In learning to make a place for himself in the wild, as in learning to write, Key’s story is one of “hoping someone—even if just myself—would find value in my creations.”

Genres: Fiction

208 pages, Paperback

First published September 1, 2015

Reviews

[Courtenay Simmons · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thoroughly entertaining! Watt gives us a peek into male shenanigans and the desire to carve out his own little space in the wild. This was also a cautionary tale to this mom of three boys! I only met Watt a couple of times after moving to Fairhope and becoming fast friends with his sister, Betsy, but I always love seeing the things his younger brothers would get into. They seemed to have a magical childhood!

[Chrissy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Entertaining, especially being new to the area but familiar enough to know some of the places he mentions. It’s more a series of vignettes than a story with a plot. I did chuckle out loud several times. I’m even more curious about the Delta now!

[Marty · Rating 4 out of 5]

When I went to Mobile a few months ago, I went to a downtown bookstore and asked the clerk for a suggestion of a book with local connections. She recommended this book. I really enjoyed it. I have no experience with swamps, so this gave me a glimpse into a completely different life style - a life style that I would never in a million years want to participate in. Mud, mosquitoes, alligators, drunk men with guns. No thanks. But thank you, Watt Key, for showing me that world.

[Deborah · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book! I would call Watt Key a man's man, but this woman sure loved all the stories about the characters in the Swamp. I hope he and his son have started that new camp by now. Surely it will conjure new stories, which I hope he will share with all of us. For now, I guess I'm going to have to read some of his other books.

[Johnson Hardy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Enjoyed very much. Will be looking for more of Mr. Key's books.

[Ben Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have read all of Watt's published books. We are around the same age and I grew up a few miles up the Mobile Bay from him.

I know him even though we have never met.

I find myself knowing many people in his books even though I have never met them.

Funny thing in this book, I found I actually knew some of the people.

" How much do you think it would take to get Hank Williams Jr. ...Where you going to get twenty thousand dollars? ............

We didn't get Hank, but we got the Leavin' brothers. They had simultaneously divorced their wives several years back, quit their jobs, and headed to Nashville in pursuit of a record deal. They'd simply left small town Alabama for a better life. Leavin', they'd said. "

"In the end it all goes back to the mud"

[Daniel · Rating 4 out of 5]

We were in Alabama over Christmas and I picked this book up in a downtown Mobile bookstore. It is a delightful read that follows sveral years of building a swamp camp through several essays. It is enjoyable to read, to lean about the area, and to see an author's journey in life as well as the journey to being published. I look forward to reading more of Watt Key's work.

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

This interesting book describes a very unique region and the picturesque people who live and play there. Key and the other lovers of the great outdoors who frequent or live in the swampy Mobile delta area, use their ingenuity to contrive ways to master their environment.

[Marsha Paul · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am loving this book!!! Knowing the river, Knowing the characters (though names have been changed) absolutely fabulous!

[Fielding Williams · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hilariously written and easy to read. Loved it.