The Cracker Queen: A Memoir of a Jagged, Joyful Life

(Paperback)

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Description

A poignant memoir of life on the wrong side of the tracks-which was a SIBA bestseller in hardcover-with a colorful cast of misfits, plenty of belly laughs, and lessons for finding joy in spite of hardship Move over, Sweet Potato Queens. Thanks to Lauretta Hannon, the Cracker Queens are finally having their say. From her wildly popular NPR segments to her colorful one-woman show, Hannon is showing the world a different kind of Southern girl-a strong, authentic, fearless, flawed, resourceful, and sometimes outrageous woman-the anti-Southern Belle. The Cracker Queen takes readers from backwater Georgia to Savannah's most eccentric neighborhoods for a wild ride featuring a distinctly dysfunctional family and a lively crew of hellions, heroines, bad seeds, and renegades. Full of warmth, outrageous wit, and world-class storytelling, The Cracker Queen is a celebration of living out loud, finding humor in desperate situations, and loving life to death.

Reviews

aI raced through this bookahorrified, laughing out loud, and weeping by turns. I say, letas throw out all the self-help and inspirational books in the country, and put up "The Cracker Queen" displays instead! Hannon really made me think, and Iam going to whup some ass, too.a aLee Smith, author of "The Last Girls" and "On Agate Hill"
aWatch out, Paula Deen and Jill Conner Browne! Chock full of unforgettable lines, "The Cracker Queen" delights again and again as the intrepid Hannon turns her hardscrabble beginnings into a major laugh fest that will leave her readers wanting more. Indeed, they will fall in love a as I did a with Hannon's wit and gutsy take on, well, everything.a
aRosemary Daniell, author of "Secrets of the Zona Rosa" and "Fatal Flowers"
aThe heart, soul, and muscle of "The Cracker Queen" are in the often poignant, often shocking (but always engaging) pieces of Hannonas experiences. But there is more to it than that: thereas also the promise of a remarkably gifted writer, one who understands that she is a medium for her environment, and, for readers, that is cause for great celebration.a
aTerry Kay, author of "To Dance with the White Dog" and "The Book of Marie"
aHannonas stories move from country-hick hilarious to poignant and touching.a
a"Savannah Morning News"
aLaurettaas hilarious depictions of Steel Magnolias everywhere provide perfect proof that the best storytelleraand charactersain the South are women.a
a "White County News"

Author Bio

Lauretta Hannon is a commentator on NPR's All Things Considered and Georgia Public Radio's Georgia Gazette, and has contributed to numerous newspapers. Winner of more than two hundred awards in marketing and promotions, she is the marketing director at Atlanta Technical College.