Stories from the Sheriff's Daughter

by Lareida Buckley

Stories From the Sheriff’s Daughter is a beautifully written short novel that follows the life of a nine-year-old girl who moves to a small-town Texas county jail when her dairy farmer father is elected sheriff. In these engaging episodes, sometimes funny, sometimes tragic, days in small-town Texas in the 1950s and 60s spring to life. The family’s house is only separated from the jail by a carport, so the sheriff’s daughter grows up in the jail’s environment of lawmen, prisoners, and politics. She bumps up against some of life’s worst tragedies, including murder, rape, and suicide, despite her parents’ attempts to protect her innocence. In this very different coming-of-age story, the sheriff’s daughter moves into adulthood, trying to find her own identity, her life forever affected by growing up next door to a county jail. Though the stories in the novel are fiction, the author actually did grow up at the Burleson County jail in Texas, where her father, and eventually her mother, served as sheriffs of the county.

224 pages, Paperback

Published April 21, 2023

Reviews

[Allie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rating: 5/5

Lareida Buckley shares a collection of impactful short stories as the daughter of the Burleson County sheriff. Forced to deal with topics such as rape, murder, and more from a young age, Buckley tells a beautifully unorthodox coming of age story through individual snapshots of memories filled with lessons, wonderment, humor and love.

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This was so good. I am related to the author of this book, and I have grown up around a lot of the landmarks described, so this was extremely cool and surreal to read about. Hearing about different locations and even just shared experiences as a Texan was so cool.

I was pleasantly surprised with how funny Buckley’s voice was. Of course many stories included were very sad, but she certainly has a gift for bringing out the joy and humor in these experiences. I definitely will be recommending this book. While there are tender moments, this is overall such a feel good collection of stories and I definitely think anyone who lives in Texas will love this!

[Dawn Hurwitz · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’m going to miss these little stories that have been helping me to sleep at night. Not that they are snoozers, no, they are stories of life from a time gone by. A time when politics were not so personal. When being a kind person and a good neighbor were of great value. When compassion was the rule, not the exception. These qualities helped me to sleep and let me know there was true goodness in the world. They made me laugh at the naivete of life, and the characters who populated it. Yes, there was some weird stuff brewing back then too, but this book gives it little focus. My dreams will now go back to being a little more fearful. Maybe I’ll read it again!

[Susan Lilley · Rating 5 out of 5]

This debut novel is amazing for its depth of characterization, witty description, and the range of emotion it elicits from the reader.
It is based on the author's truly unusual life growing up next to a small Texas town's jail in the 50's and 60's. Nostalgia, yes, but so much more.
I cared so much about the characters that I didn't want it to end.

[Kate · Rating 5 out of 5]

Through the eyes of the sheriff's daughter, we are immersed in a tragic world laced with humor, hope and compassion. Lareida Buckley's debut is an instant classic in the tradition of Carson McCullers and Harper Lee.

See my interview with the author here:
http://beingandwriting.blogspot.com/2...