What if one stupid mistake changed the course of your entire life? Would you have the courage to make things right? What if life offered you another chance? Would you take it? Inside of all of us, there’s a flicker of hope that’s waiting to be fanned, and if we let it, that tiny flicker will become a flaming fire that by it’s very nature will light not only our way, but also those around us.
Inspired by the life Sandra’s grandmother, LIVIN’ IN HIGH COTTON, rings true with authenticity and grace. While the work is fiction, many of the events are true. The idea for LIVIN’ IN HIGH COTTON began when Jennifer came across a notebook, tucked away in an old box. This notebook contained the beginning pages of a novel that Sandra had started years ago, before Jennifer was even born. Jennifer was intrigued with the story and told Sandra, “Let’s write this novel.”
Sandra jokingly quips, “We tell people that LIVIN’ IN HIGH COTTON is about your typical southern family—it’s a love story, there’s bootlegging, and a murder that takes place.”
The novel captures a real-life feel of a not-so-distant past that’s begging to be remembered and is a poignant reminder that there’s a little southern in all of us—regardless of where we were born, for the greatest treasure we’ll ever know can be found within the heart of our own families.
BUY NOW!!
READ EXCERPT...
Here's what people are saying:
"A compelling story of family loyalty, love, loss, and strength, as warm and fertile as the rich red clay of a Georgia field. The inspiring, hardscrabble lives of Depression-era southerners make for a vivid story of love and forgiveness."
Deborah Smith, New York Times bestselling author of A Place to Call Home."If you love romance, a local setting and inspiration, all combined, look for Livin’ in High Cotton, and enjoy an uplifting first novel."
Mary Scott Norris, Signal Mountain Mirror, September, 2004"Livin' in High Cotton is selling like hotcakes! It's our number one bestseller."
David Palmer, Cold Water Books, Tuscumbia, Alabama.
"You've got to read this book. I loved it. You won't be able to put it down. It evoked so many emotions and it was easy reading. I felt like I was actually there. It's one of those books you want to pick up and read a second time."
Rilly Winkle, Alabama TV and radio personality.
"It's not often I can recommend a book without reservation. But I know I can recommend Livin' in High Cotton without reservation to anyone, even church libraries, because not only is it fast-paced and exciting, but it's clean and uplifting"
Mary Scott Norris, librarian, Signal Mountain Public Library.
"The novel is the first work of the LDS mother-daughter team Sandra Poole and Jennifer Leigh Youngblood and vividly captures the depression-era South in not only its setting but also through its engaging characters. With a combination of heartbreak, romance, and triumph, Livin' in High Cotton is a page-turning pleasure."
LDS Living, January/February 2005
"Livin' in High Cotton," is an exciting, well-written tale of a Depression-era family living in the rural south, torn apart by family strife and an alcoholic father. The central character is a young girl named Shelby Collins. When her father arrives home drunk one night and tries to molest her, Shelby flees to the home of an aunt and uncle, who agree to shield her and her siblings from their abusive father. But the father manages to wrest Shelby away from them and enroll her in a work-camp style school, getting her out of the way. Shelby's mother is away taking care of her own ill mother, and won't return until Shelby is long gone.
Shelby meets a young man named Harlan, and takes an instant dislike to him. But Harlan becomes a central character in Shelby's evolving story. We come to appreciate Harlan's presence as Shelby's life devolves into a nightmarish existence, lending some credence to the idea of generational curses. Can these be overcome? Can the human spirit conquer in the midst of severe adversity?
As we journey with Shelby from life as a young girl to a devoted mother and wife, we see in the lives of some of the characters the devastating effects of marital infidelity and alcohol abuse. But we also see the power and strength that can carry a person through such hard times.
I was moved by this story. The writing was very good, the characters well defined and believable. The authors, a mother and daughter team, created this story from the life of Sandra's grandmother, and so it rings with authenticity and grace. And a brief epilogue rounds out the story in a completely surprising way, bringing together the core teachings of redemption and forgiveness. Rich in detail, carefully crafted, and only occasionally predictable, "Livin' in High Cotton" is well worth reading.
One criticism: Chapter 1 begins with the words "Cartersville, Georgia 1923" and thus sets the time and place. Generally, chapter breaks connected events fairly closely, but from time to time both the year and the locale change. Sometimes as many as five years pass (and maybe more, I'm not sure), and providing for this transition is not always as smooth as it should be. I would have enjoyed chapter headings much like that in Chapter 1.
I'm very happy to commend this book to the general reading audience. I hope to see more from this writing team, as they surely know how to craft a story. I really liked this book."
Jeff Needle, Association for Mormon Letters, Aug. 1, 2004
"It has been a year since I first met Jennifer Leigh Youngblood. She had just moved back to the mountains and was in the Library's children's room, choosing books with her two young sons. The radiant young author, who immediately impressed me with her friendliness and gracious manner, revealed that she and her mother, Sandra Poole, had written a book that was to be published in the summer. From that moment, I looked forward to reading Livin' in High Cotton, set in the little town of Alder Springs, Alabama, a stone's throw (or so) south of the Tennessee line.
The time is the late 1920's. Smart and gentle Shelby Collins was ruthlessly taken by her own papa from the house she shared with him, her mother and siblings in Cartersville, Georgia, and deposited in a home for abandoned girls in the neighboring state of Alabama. After the shock of this event, following a past of treachery and deceit, Shelby begins to put her life back together. She meets Harlan, and they fall in love. The road to happiness is not easy and takes the reader on a roller-coaster ride. This narrative dispels the Tobacco Road image of the old rural South. Strong values and principles are presented.
The characters are innovative and stay with the reader long after the last page - even the villains. For instance, take Bobby Ray Ledford, moonshiner and bootlegger. From Chapter 24, "No one really knew for sure where Bobby Ray Ledford had come from. Like the sneaky snake slithering on the ground, Bobby appeared perfectly harmless, until you picked him up and put him in your pocket. The last person who crossed him ended up on the bottom of the Tennessee River." Aunt Sadie Bean is hilarious, and Bird as mean as they come. I was caught up in the action involving these culprits and enjoyed the local color.
Sandra Poole was raised in Alder Springs. She was brought up on the family stories that mothers and grandmothers tell, which is the source of many of the ideas for book. Poole, educated in a two-room schoolhouse, is well versed in the classics. She later received a master's degree in business, but she has retained her love for literature and writing and passed it on to her daughter. Sandra and Jennifer have fun with their work and collaborate beautifully.
After Jennifer and Patrick (Youngblood) married, the couple owned a newspaper, with Jennifer as editor. When their first child was born, Jennifer became a full-time homemaker, until she and her mom embarked on a career in writing. Youngblood and Poole are currently at work on another novel, which also takes place in Alabama, but is set in the present. If you love romance, a local setting and inspiration, all combined, look for Livin' in High Cotton, an enjoyable and uplifting first novel."
Mary Scott Norris, Inside the Library