Reading a novel about youth often makes you think of your own. Being part of a book group involving a novel you can physically hold in your hand changes the way you read when you’re online.
We all know the art of writing for a novel is entirely different than blog writing. I’ve been meaning to capture more of my youth online — in a series, little by little. The closest I’ve come is one photo upload inside an Irish castle and a blog post about a teenager summer.
I haven’t read many ‘chick-flavored’ books in awhile, but am deeply buried in one now. Bound South written by Susan Rebecca White who I plan to meet the first week of April, captures the lives of two women in their mid-forties who live in the Atlanta suburbs.
There are wonderful moments between mother and rebellious teenager daughter and glimpse after glimpse of what both women, who have been best friends since childhood, gave up to do raise a family the ‘southern way.’
Each character is rich — from wealthy lead characters Louise (Parker) and Tiny to their black maid’s daughter Missy who says: “For not being a real Christian, Mrs. Parker sure likes Jesus. She has an enormous painting of Him, hung smack in the middle of her living room wall. You wouldn’t even know it is Him if His wrists weren’t pierced and He didn’t have long, flowing hair. Instead of wearing a white robe, Jesus is wearing a blue ball gown with rhinestones dotted along the straps. And instead of a crown of thorns or a halo, he wears a diamond tiara on his head. The blue of his ball gown is so rich you just want to stare, but I try not to. I know it is some kind of sinning to picture Jesus looking like a girl.”
Nanny Rose is the conservative mother-in-law whose maid dies at the beginning of the book and it is here, early on, that we learn about the marked neighborhoods – black and white, rich and poor, where wealthy white housewives fear driving down the wrong street, locking their doors, stiffening up as they break for a stop light.
The real rose of the story is Louise’s 18 year old daughter Caroline who is caught giving her acting teacher a blow job a month before graduation. Although she’s late for every class and plasters a bumper sticker on the back of her car that says “Question Authority,” she still makes it into Julliard.
She’s full of untethered emotion and at times you want to restrain her, but not because of her rebellious spirit. You find that you want to protect Caroline from the emotional pain every women goes through who embarks on that path versus the more traditional one, one which is full of protection but void of adventure.
Caroline’s experience with her first bout of passion….real passion. “I lean in and start kissing him. It’s different from last night. This time I want it. I want him. Frederick, not my teacher, not my director, but Frederick, the man who bought the two buckets of chicken so I could give one away to the homeless…….And the strangest thing is how surprising it all is, that this — this affair, as my mother would call it — is really happening. Even though we kissed last night, even though we flirted all last year, back then it felt like a game, like something that would never really happen.”
And then my favorite part: “It’s the difference between standing near a fire and being the wood that burns.”
It’s a refreshingly light read with yes, a ton of wonderful chick-book moments. It is also an easy-flowing story that is broad in reach, ranging from family strife, family growth, southern recipes, folk art and visually rich images, to passion, deception, marital affairs, religion, regret, honor, coming of age and the great divide between black and white in the south.
Renee Blodgett is the founder of We Blog the World. The site combines the magic of an online culture and travel magazine with a global blog network and has contributors from every continent in the world. Having lived in 10 countries and explored nearly 80, she is an avid traveler, and a lover, observer and participant in cultural diversity.
She is also the CEO and founder of Magic Sauce Media, a new media services consultancy focused on viral marketing, social media, branding, events and PR. For over 20 years, she has helped companies from 12 countries get traction in the market. Known for her global and organic approach to product and corporate launches, Renee practices what she pitches and as an active user of social media, she helps clients navigate digital waters from around the world. Renee has been blogging for over 16 years and regularly writes on her personal blog Down the Avenue, Huffington Post, BlogHer, We Blog the World and other sites. She was ranked #12 Social Media Influencer by Forbes Magazine and is listed as a new media influencer and game changer on various sites and books on the new media revolution. In 2013, she was listed as the 6th most influential woman in social media by Forbes Magazine on a Top 20 List.
Her passion for art, storytelling and photography led to the launch of Magic Sauce Photography, which is a visual extension of her writing, the result of which has led to producing six photo books: Galapagos Islands, London, South Africa, Rome, Urbanization and Ecuador.
Renee is also the co-founder of Traveling Geeks, an initiative that brings entrepreneurs, thought leaders, bloggers, creators, curators and influencers to other countries to share and learn from peers, governments, corporations, and the general public in order to educate, share, evaluate, and promote innovative technologies.
