One of my favorite book friends totally loved this book and it went in my stack without another thought. Memoirs always fascinate me because it gives you an opportunity to see things through another person's eyes and to see the matter from their point of view. It is enticing to read someone else's line of thinking about an event or a period of time, especially from someone that personally experienced it. It gives you the freedom to lengthen your admiration and interpretation.
This is a captivating journey through Clifton Meador's childhood and young adulthood. It is at times delightful, nostalgic, gloomy, funny and sentimental. The book is a series of stories about his young manhood in a small rural town, Greenville, Alabama, during the depression and WW II years. This compilation of stories engages in such a way that the reader is reconnected to the value of face to face relationships and the magnitude of time and place. Meador passionately reiterates the stories that laid the foundations of his values and influenced his life. There are also heart-rending moments such as the loss of his best friend because of the impenetrable wall of segregation. The book is an enjoyable, touching trip back in time, a journey of the heart and an experience that sticks around.
I adored the book tremendously. Meador has a special gift for story-telling, especially true and timeless stories. It was an honest, well-written look at another time long gone in southern history. Anyone who grew up in a small town in this time or whose parents did will love the stories. I found myself laughing out loud so many times. I could just picture the characters that he wrote about and appreciate everything about it. This book has a fresh view to share and held my attention from beginning to end and left me wanting for more. What a fun way to embrace the nostalgic feelings this book offers to the reader! I absolutely cannot imagine any reader who would not love reading this book. Highly recommend!
By Sarah Carter
Enjoy fast, free delivery, exclusive deals, and award-winning movies & TV shows with Prime
Try Prime
and start saving today with fast, free delivery
Download the free Kindle app and start reading Kindle books instantly on your smartphone, tablet, or computer - no Kindle device required.
Read instantly on your browser with Kindle for Web.
Using your mobile phone camera - scan the code below and download the Kindle app.
Something went wrong. Please try your request again later.
Book recommendations, author interviews, editors' picks, and more. Read it now.
Popular titles by this author
Page 1 of 1 Start overPage 1 of 1
About the author
Follow authors to get new release updates, plus improved recommendations.
Reviews with images
Step Back In Time And Glimpse A Bit of Small Town Life
Memoirs always interest me because it gives you an opportunity to see things through another person's eyes, to see events from their perspective. It is fascinating to read someone else's thoughts about an event or a period of time. Seeing things from another point of view, especially from someone that personally experienced it, can afford you the opportunity to expand your understanding and appreciation. I received Sketches Of A Small Town to review. I was interested in reading Dr. Meador's book because Alabama has a rich history and he was someone that experienced a small piece of it firsthand.This is a fascinating journey through Dr. Meador's childhood and early adolescence. It is at times charming, sad, nostalgic, funny and thoughtful. In a town full of very different people, a picture is painted of those people caring for their neighbors and living together in relative calm.As the title says, this book offers sketches of what life was like for a boy growing up in a small Alabama town. Sketches is an apt words because owing to his youth, Clifton saw things through his child eyes. Those eyes most likely weren't privilege to more in depth complexities that likely surrounded him. All the same, the sketches are wonderful glimpses into a time a lot of us never knew and may not understand. His memories are beautiful reminders of days gone by, of people knowing their differences and living in relative calm despite them. He doesn't gloss the memories over and make them "the good old days" and isn't apologetic for the way things were, but instead lets us see the town for what it was and the people for who they were. While the people and the town weren't perfect, Dr. Meador paints a picture that makes me wish I could step back in time and stroll though Greenville and meet these folks who were part of the fabric that made up our Country. You find yourself caring for these people and wondering what happened them.Sketches of a Small Town is a generous look back in history to a time when things were perhaps simpler only because technology as we know it was not even a dream yet. Simpler because everything wasn't supersized and time moved slower somehow. Despite the simple appearance, Dr. Meador also shows the complexities of living in a small town in a bygone era. It's a wonderful first hand account of the history of a small southern town.
Top reviews from the United States
There was a problem filtering reviews right now. Please try again later.
Reviewed in the United States on June 12, 2019
Reviewed in the United States on August 4, 2014
Reviewed in the United States on July 21, 2014
Reviewed in the United States on August 4, 2014
Reviewed in the United States on March 30, 2015
