The South has a long tradition of fine storytellers, and now one comes along perhaps better than most. Jim Ritchie isn't bashful; he jumps right in, holding the reader spellbound with his uproariously earthy frankness. A master teller in the oral tradition, the author performs even better on the stage of these pages, making his subjects come to life with his own homespun style. The reader who has grown up in the South will swear that he knows each and every character in these tales: from the "Indian doctor" with the secret hemorrhoid cure to the bull who couldn't keep his "loins" out of reach of the youngster's BB gun; he'll identify with Bubba gigging for Giant Southern Frogs and with the curious cat that burned the cabin down; he'll remember high school teammates like "Shorty" and "Speedy," as well as college fraternity brothers like "Snake" and "Stud." And he'll laugh while remembering.