Overview
For fans of beloved memoirs like Educated and The Glass Castle, a āraw and deeply honestā (Publishers Weekly, starred review) true story set in rural Mississippi during the Civil Rights era about a white girl coming of age in a repressive society and the woman who gave her the strength to forge her own pathāthe black nanny who cared for her.
In her memoir that is a āstory of love and furyā (Jackson Clarion-Ledger), Grammy Award-winning songwriter and producer Tena Clark recounts her chaotic childhood in a time fraught with racial and social tension. Tena was born in 1953 in a tiny Mississippi town close to the Alabama border, where the legacy of slavery and racial injustice still permeated every aspect of life. On the outside, Tenaās childhood looked like a fairytale. Her father was one of the richest men in the state; her mother was a regal beauty. The family lived on a sprawling farm and had the only swimming pool in town; Tena was given her first carāa royal blue Camaroāat twelve.
But behind closed doors, Tenaās family life was deeply lonely and dysfunctional. By the time she was three, her parentsā marriage had dissolved into a swamp of alcohol, rampant infidelity, and guns. Adding to the turmoil, Tena understood from a very young age that she was different from her three older sisters, all of whom had been beauty queens and majorettes. Tena knew she didnāt want to be a majoretteāshe wanted to marry one.
On Tenaās tenth birthday, her mother, emboldened by alcoholism and enraged by her husbandās incessant cheating, walked out for good, instantly becoming an outcast in their society. Tena was left in the care of her nanny, Virgie, even though she was raising nine of her own children and was not allowed to eat from the familyās plates or use their bathroom. It was Virgieās acceptance and unconditional love that gave Tena the courage to stand up to her domineering father, the faith to believe in her motherās love, and the strength to be her true self.
Combining the spirit of brave coming-of-age memoirs such as The Glass Castle and vivid, evocative Southern fiction like To Kill a Mockingbird, Southern Discomfort is āan unforgettable southern storyā¦ [that] sings brightly to the incredible strength of family ties and the great power of loveā (The Atlanta Journal-Constitution) and is destined to become a new classic.
This book title, Southern Discomfort (A Memoir) - 9781501167959, ISBN: 9781501167959, by Tena Clark, published by Atria Books (September 10, 2019) is available in paperback. Our minimum order quantity is 25 copies. All standard bulk book orders ship FREE in the continental USA and delivered in 4-10 business days.
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