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Kathy Sue Loudermilk, I Love You: A Good Beer Joint Is Hard to Find and Other Facts of Life
A noted Southern humorist offers a rich, folksy, whimsical tribute to the South and its people, traditions, and culture
211 pages, Hardcover
First published December 1, 1979
47 people are currently reading
234 people want to read
About the author
Lewis Grizzard
66 books88 followersAmerican writer and humorist, known for his Southern demeanor and commentary on the American South. Although he spent his early career as a newspaper sports writer and editor, becoming the sports editor of the Atlanta Journal at age 23, he is much better known for his humorous newspaper columns in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. He was also a popular stand-up comedian & lecturer.
Grizzard also published a total of twenty-five books, including collections of his columns (e.g. Chili Dawgs Always Bark at Night), expanded versions of his stand-up comedy routines (I Haven't Understood Anything Since 1962), and the autobiographical If I Ever Get Back to Georgia, I'm Gonna Nail My Feet to the Ground. Although much of his comedy discussed the South and Grizzard’s personal and professional lives, it was also a commentary on issues prevalent throughout America, including relationships between men and women (e.g. If Love Were Oil, I'd Be About a Quart Low), politics, and health, especially heart health.
He made us laugh and think at the same time. Indeed, during his lifetime, Lewis Grizzard heard himself described as "this generation's Mark Twain," "one of the foremost humorists in the country" and "a Faulkner for plain folks" by the national press. What he was, without a doubt, was a masterful storyteller, stand-up comedian, syndicated columnist and best selling author.
Lewis Grizzard Museum: http://newnan.com/lg/
New Georgia Encyclopedia entry:
http://www.georgiaencyclopedia.org/ng...
Grizzard also published a total of twenty-five books, including collections of his columns (e.g. Chili Dawgs Always Bark at Night), expanded versions of his stand-up comedy routines (I Haven't Understood Anything Since 1962), and the autobiographical If I Ever Get Back to Georgia, I'm Gonna Nail My Feet to the Ground. Although much of his comedy discussed the South and Grizzard’s personal and professional lives, it was also a commentary on issues prevalent throughout America, including relationships between men and women (e.g. If Love Were Oil, I'd Be About a Quart Low), politics, and health, especially heart health.
He made us laugh and think at the same time. Indeed, during his lifetime, Lewis Grizzard heard himself described as "this generation's Mark Twain," "one of the foremost humorists in the country" and "a Faulkner for plain folks" by the national press. What he was, without a doubt, was a masterful storyteller, stand-up comedian, syndicated columnist and best selling author.
Lewis Grizzard Museum: http://newnan.com/lg/
New Georgia Encyclopedia entry:
http://www.georgiaencyclopedia.org/ng...
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Displaying 1 - 29 of 29 reviews
October 6, 2018
Real Rating: 2.5* of five
DNR (haw, that was Freudian) @ 5%
I am *positive* that I didn't spend $5 on this. Must've been a Kindle deal one day.
What a fiasco. Dull to the point of soul-killing ennui setting in after a measly five percent! I loved Lewis Grizzard back in my thirties. Whatever the reason was, it no longer obtains. Dreadfully unfunny and not remotely thought-provoking. I must've been a lot drunker than I remember being for this to have made me laugh so much. I still like this line:
But it's not evident from the skip-n-flip through this tome where the bitter snark of that line came from. Mostly the essays are simply slices from a dull white Southerner's sojourn through life.
Moving on.
DNR (haw, that was Freudian) @ 5%
I am *positive* that I didn't spend $5 on this. Must've been a Kindle deal one day.
What a fiasco. Dull to the point of soul-killing ennui setting in after a measly five percent! I loved Lewis Grizzard back in my thirties. Whatever the reason was, it no longer obtains. Dreadfully unfunny and not remotely thought-provoking. I must've been a lot drunker than I remember being for this to have made me laugh so much. I still like this line:
"I don't think I'll get married again. I'll just find a woman I don't like and give her a house."
But it's not evident from the skip-n-flip through this tome where the bitter snark of that line came from. Mostly the essays are simply slices from a dull white Southerner's sojourn through life.
Moving on.
April 1, 2012
In my opinion the two best general newspaper columnists of the modern era were the late Mike Royko and Lewis Grizzard. I worked with Mike during the three and a half years I worked at the now defunct Chicago Daily New, during the period he wrote the Pulitzer winning "Boss" about Mayor Daley (da mare). For a short couple of years Grizzard worked at our sister paper, the Chicago Sun-Times.
Grizzard couldn't wait to get back to the South from the moment he set foot in Chcago. When he got an opportunity to become a columnist at the Atlanta papers, nothing could hold him back. His collections of columns are on Kindle. And now this first collection in e-reader format. I have them all in paperback and am now rereading them on my Kindles.
His columns are in a class by themselves: many are humorous, some are melancholy and sad, but all are poignant. I can't imagine anyone not enjoying them. They are great if you have only five minutes to read one column or if you have time to read several at a sitting. This first collection shares its title with one of his columns. Try it; you'll like it.
Grizzard couldn't wait to get back to the South from the moment he set foot in Chcago. When he got an opportunity to become a columnist at the Atlanta papers, nothing could hold him back. His collections of columns are on Kindle. And now this first collection in e-reader format. I have them all in paperback and am now rereading them on my Kindles.
His columns are in a class by themselves: many are humorous, some are melancholy and sad, but all are poignant. I can't imagine anyone not enjoying them. They are great if you have only five minutes to read one column or if you have time to read several at a sitting. This first collection shares its title with one of his columns. Try it; you'll like it.
November 5, 2012
It has been a long time since I read Lewis Grizzard. A week or two ago, my brother emailed me that this book was free on Kindle for a limited time. I jumped at it.
For the most part, this book is simply a collection of Grizzard's newspaper column. The stories are grouped together by subject (Railroads, Deaths, the South, e.g.), and there is no attempt to link them.
It works better for me this way. I grew up reading Lewis Grizzard's column, and I enjoyed the journey back.
If you think about reading this, remember that these were newspaper columns that were fresh during the Carter Administration. Indeed, Grizzard attends a White House cookout and reception for NASCAR drivers. President Carter wasn't able to make it. He was at Camp David with Sadat and Begin.
This book isn't a history of that era. It's more of a time capsule, actual parts saved from years ago.
I recommend this, especially to Southerners.
For the most part, this book is simply a collection of Grizzard's newspaper column. The stories are grouped together by subject (Railroads, Deaths, the South, e.g.), and there is no attempt to link them.
It works better for me this way. I grew up reading Lewis Grizzard's column, and I enjoyed the journey back.
If you think about reading this, remember that these were newspaper columns that were fresh during the Carter Administration. Indeed, Grizzard attends a White House cookout and reception for NASCAR drivers. President Carter wasn't able to make it. He was at Camp David with Sadat and Begin.
This book isn't a history of that era. It's more of a time capsule, actual parts saved from years ago.
I recommend this, especially to Southerners.
July 21, 2012
What is there to say? I adore Lewis Grizzard & his take on the world.
This is a compilation of old columns- so I didn't read it all in one sitting (obviously). Some of them feel a little dated, but it was fun to flash back (I think I first read this book in middle school, maybe high school). But, Grizzard is still charming & enjoyable to spend some time with. A few things didn't translate to modern times quite as well as I would have hoped, but overall, I still enjoyed a little visit with Lewis.
This is a compilation of old columns- so I didn't read it all in one sitting (obviously). Some of them feel a little dated, but it was fun to flash back (I think I first read this book in middle school, maybe high school). But, Grizzard is still charming & enjoyable to spend some time with. A few things didn't translate to modern times quite as well as I would have hoped, but overall, I still enjoyed a little visit with Lewis.
April 10, 2012
Lewis Grizzard wrote for different papers, mainly in Atlanta, he was also a stand-up comic, book author and commentator. The book is different columns he wrote during his career and are about many things. Things like trains, people, food, airline travel, wife's and Chicago. One work of warning and this is why I gave the book 4 stars instead of 5 is this is a old book written about things (mainly) in the 1970's, but it is still a good read about life in a era long gone much to many of our regrets.
Read
July 19, 2025for my money, Bill Stokes is better. Grizzard wields his southern identity as a crutch, assuming anything that happens in Atlanta is inherently interesting.
His sentimentalities seem corny and disingenuous but he can write a funny line every once and a while.
I read this because I was traveling to Atlanta and wanted to read a book about it, I think Atlanta has probably changed a lot since this book.
His sentimentalities seem corny and disingenuous but he can write a funny line every once and a while.
I read this because I was traveling to Atlanta and wanted to read a book about it, I think Atlanta has probably changed a lot since this book.
December 10, 2008
Lewis was just a good 'ol boy who loved his mama, his dog, and Georgia football-also several wives, but that's another story. Starting with Kathy Sue Loudermilk....Lewis explained life as seen thru a small town boy's eyes who grew up to be a Georgia institution as a columnist for the Atlanta Constitution and the most loyal Bulldog fan this side of UGA (the mascot). Always hilarious, when he wasn't being serious, his books are a treasure, especially the one about his open heart surgery.
January 5, 2009
The late Lewis Grizzard makes me chuckle out loud; he knows Southern humor and how to make it resonate. Fun reading.
July 17, 2009
Southern wit and charm as told through the pen of the late, great Lewis Grizzard. Every southerner should know about him, and this is a great introduction to his work.
July 15, 2023
Grizzard's first collection of columns, originally published in 1979. There is some good, some cringe (the misogyny is rife), some thoughtful, and some depressing. It feels a bit like a catch-all collection; I prefer when his writing is centered around one or two major themes. Worth reading, but know it gets much better after this.
September 1, 2014
Kathy Sue Loudermilk, I Love You by Lewis Grizzard (Peachtree Publishers 1979)(081). This is another volume of hilarity or insanity from Lewis Grizzard, longtime columnist for the Atlanta Journal Constitution and favorite Georgia miscreant. Several decades after his untimely death, he remains a Georgia legendary bad boy. My rating: 7/10, finished 1982.
August 8, 2007
Frankly, I was probably too young for most of this humor the first time I read this -- but his goodbye to the sports section column remains my number one all-time piece of sports writing ever, and this collection of columns still holds up nearly 15 years later.
March 25, 2012
I'm from Atlanta and a lot of the places and people are very familiar to me. Maybe the generation gap is what caused the disconnect but I just didn't find this funny, even slightly. It came across as fickle and derogatory.
April 23, 2012
These columns were great! I'm too young to have read them in the newspaper and I am very glad they were collected in this book. Some stories made me laugh out loud, some made me cry and most made me think. I'm looking forward to reading some of Lewis Grizzled's other books.
April 29, 2014
Enjoyable. A bit dated (1980), mostly compiled from his newspaper articles (I think). Definitely a Southern point of view but funny to this mid-westerner when I first read it 20 years ago--before I was transplanted to the South
September 29, 2011
Gotta love Lewis Grizzard! Sweet southern humor!
May 30, 2012
Grizzard was always good for a laugh and this book certainly supplied many. I miss him and his books.
June 1, 2012
This is a group of columns the author wrote when he worked for one of the Atlanta Newspapers.
I have always found him highly entertaining but some of these columns are a bit dated.
I have always found him highly entertaining but some of these columns are a bit dated.
July 1, 2012
I believe these are reprints of several of the author's columns, many of which take place in Atlanta. Many of them were cute but I got a little bored with the sports stories.
December 19, 2013
Refreshing, humorous look at life. It still applies today - almost 35 years later.
January 11, 2014
Very good collection of Grizzard columns.
April 11, 2022
I started reading humor books by Lewis Grizzard when I was a teenager as my father was a big fan. I read his autobiographies, column collections, and even listened to a few of his stand-up albums. To be completely transparent, his humor involved many elements of rural southern culture as he was born and raised in Georgia. He had a career as successful sportswriter and editor but found his true calling and major fame as an observational humorist. Some of his humor was dated for the times and even minor portions probably have not aged all that well – nonetheless, if you grew up in the rural South in the second half of the 20th Century and witnessed the many transformations, you appreciated a lot of the humor.
As a teenager and college student, I appreciated reading Lewis Grizzard for nostalgia. Years later, I would revisit some of Grizzard stories from the exact same lens in my mid-to-late thirties as he told some of stories on love, relationships, and marriage(s) (primarily the failure thereof) and I related. He really wasn’t a religious man anymore – but he appreciated growing up with religion. I could relate. Reading personal reflections of close friends and colleagues after he prematurely passed at age 47 from complications stemming from a congenital heart defect, I found myself musing, “Man, I really would have loved to have known this guy personally.”
On a lark earlier this year, while I was looking at purchasing another Lewis Grizzard “reflective reminiscing tome” the suggestion feed at Amazon caused me to realize that I had missed one of his publications. I had, in fact, not read every single Lewis Grizzard publication. I had not read his first: “Kathy Sue Loudermilk, I Love You.” This was his first book. It was a compilation of his best columns from the first two years as a first sports columnist for the Atlanta Journal-Consititution, then soon after, was moved to more of a lifestyle columnist for obvious reasons. These two years followed what he called his “exile in Chicago” where he was a sports editor for the Chicago Sun-Times. This followed a successful tenure at the AJC where he became the sports edito at the ridiculously young age of 23.
As mentioned, after eight months into his return to the AJC, his office was moved to a new location so he could continue writing the humor/life column that eventually made him famous (yet still chiming in on contemporary sports issues.) He published this column about four days per week. At his peak, he was syndicated in 450 newspapers and making regular appearances on television (including the show “Designing Women” and the stand-up comedy circuit. His popularity in Atlanta was such that the alternative newspaper Creative Loafing, in its annual "Best of Atlanta" poll, included the categories "Best Columnist" and "Best Columnist besides Lewis Grizzard.”
What I loved the most about this first book is the fact that when you read it from a 2022 lens, you are reading history from a primary source. You are observing someone’s observation as these local, regional, national, and even international events are happening. A historian wanting to dive deeper into the history between the years 1977 and 1979, this is a great time capsule - especially if you are interested in southern United States history and even Metro Atlanta.
As the decades of the 1970’s were coming to a close, so were the last independent passanger rail companies as they were all being absorbed into the new Amtrak consolidated system. Grizzard loved trains and hated flying. But he also hated the fact that rail travel was on the decline. Incidentally, around this time my grandfather was retiring from his long career working for the railroad. You read all about the mediocre Atlanta Braves and the struggle to love a team that was still years away from being the team of the 90’s. You also read about:
• College football and other sports rivalries,
• Local, national, and world events right in the middle of the Cold War.
• His fear of what was happening to country music and popular music (disco and drugstore cowboys.)
• And finally, insights into the Carter Administration that for once, doesn’t mention Iran.
It’s 5 bucks on Kindle. Worth it if you are\were a Grizzard fan.
As a teenager and college student, I appreciated reading Lewis Grizzard for nostalgia. Years later, I would revisit some of Grizzard stories from the exact same lens in my mid-to-late thirties as he told some of stories on love, relationships, and marriage(s) (primarily the failure thereof) and I related. He really wasn’t a religious man anymore – but he appreciated growing up with religion. I could relate. Reading personal reflections of close friends and colleagues after he prematurely passed at age 47 from complications stemming from a congenital heart defect, I found myself musing, “Man, I really would have loved to have known this guy personally.”
On a lark earlier this year, while I was looking at purchasing another Lewis Grizzard “reflective reminiscing tome” the suggestion feed at Amazon caused me to realize that I had missed one of his publications. I had, in fact, not read every single Lewis Grizzard publication. I had not read his first: “Kathy Sue Loudermilk, I Love You.” This was his first book. It was a compilation of his best columns from the first two years as a first sports columnist for the Atlanta Journal-Consititution, then soon after, was moved to more of a lifestyle columnist for obvious reasons. These two years followed what he called his “exile in Chicago” where he was a sports editor for the Chicago Sun-Times. This followed a successful tenure at the AJC where he became the sports edito at the ridiculously young age of 23.
As mentioned, after eight months into his return to the AJC, his office was moved to a new location so he could continue writing the humor/life column that eventually made him famous (yet still chiming in on contemporary sports issues.) He published this column about four days per week. At his peak, he was syndicated in 450 newspapers and making regular appearances on television (including the show “Designing Women” and the stand-up comedy circuit. His popularity in Atlanta was such that the alternative newspaper Creative Loafing, in its annual "Best of Atlanta" poll, included the categories "Best Columnist" and "Best Columnist besides Lewis Grizzard.”
What I loved the most about this first book is the fact that when you read it from a 2022 lens, you are reading history from a primary source. You are observing someone’s observation as these local, regional, national, and even international events are happening. A historian wanting to dive deeper into the history between the years 1977 and 1979, this is a great time capsule - especially if you are interested in southern United States history and even Metro Atlanta.
As the decades of the 1970’s were coming to a close, so were the last independent passanger rail companies as they were all being absorbed into the new Amtrak consolidated system. Grizzard loved trains and hated flying. But he also hated the fact that rail travel was on the decline. Incidentally, around this time my grandfather was retiring from his long career working for the railroad. You read all about the mediocre Atlanta Braves and the struggle to love a team that was still years away from being the team of the 90’s. You also read about:
• College football and other sports rivalries,
• Local, national, and world events right in the middle of the Cold War.
• His fear of what was happening to country music and popular music (disco and drugstore cowboys.)
• And finally, insights into the Carter Administration that for once, doesn’t mention Iran.
It’s 5 bucks on Kindle. Worth it if you are\were a Grizzard fan.
October 24, 2025
I first came across Lewis Girzzard while shopping for books online. I saw a stack of 7 of his hardcovers for 20 bucks! With a deal like that, I had to check out what this guy was about.
Grizzard was a columnist with an ability to pull heart strings and hurt people's sides from laughter. He did some stand-up comedy albums, too.
This is his first collection released in 1979. Each story is no more than a couple pages, and I think they may even be straight columns from his time at various Atlanta newspapers.
He writes with a southerner's charm and sense of humor on topics concerning love, sports, adolescence, trains, death, and the south in general.
I gleaned a whole lot from Grizzard's ability to convey a sense of place and time. He also was a pro at hooking the reader with witty lines and was just as effective at bringing home a ponderous message.
He makes every piece personal, from mornings spent with his mother as a child, to sharing a train ride with strangers. As a writer myself, I was taking mental note of how he framed stories. I hope to one day be able to command a page like him.
Grizzard was a columnist with an ability to pull heart strings and hurt people's sides from laughter. He did some stand-up comedy albums, too.
This is his first collection released in 1979. Each story is no more than a couple pages, and I think they may even be straight columns from his time at various Atlanta newspapers.
He writes with a southerner's charm and sense of humor on topics concerning love, sports, adolescence, trains, death, and the south in general.
I gleaned a whole lot from Grizzard's ability to convey a sense of place and time. He also was a pro at hooking the reader with witty lines and was just as effective at bringing home a ponderous message.
He makes every piece personal, from mornings spent with his mother as a child, to sharing a train ride with strangers. As a writer myself, I was taking mental note of how he framed stories. I hope to one day be able to command a page like him.
September 23, 2024
So Funny
The writings of Lewis Grizzard are so funny. Yet, they are also heartwarming. This book contains stories of young love, mamma, and southern living. Lewis tells these stories in a way that runs through a range of emotions. One minute you are laughing out loud, the next you are crying. In my opinion, Lewis Grizzard is one of the greatest writers of the 20th Century. This is one that should be read and read again and again.
The writings of Lewis Grizzard are so funny. Yet, they are also heartwarming. This book contains stories of young love, mamma, and southern living. Lewis tells these stories in a way that runs through a range of emotions. One minute you are laughing out loud, the next you are crying. In my opinion, Lewis Grizzard is one of the greatest writers of the 20th Century. This is one that should be read and read again and again.
May 4, 2023
Every column dated.
Every column Timeless.
A treasure.
RIP Lewis, gone to soon.
Every column Timeless.
A treasure.
RIP Lewis, gone to soon.
February 20, 2017
Lewis was one of my favorite people to read when I was growing up -- so going thru this first collection of columns is a mixed bag. It is vintage Grizzard, but I admit to enjoying his more narrative books rather than the column collections. Certainly it is a bit of a time warp -- the late 70s references make this dated, but let's you live in that time for a moment. I admit that some of his views are also ... dated, and maybe even not the most progressive, even for the time. But as long as you allow for that and let the charm, folksiness, and telling human stories be the focus, it's enjoyable. But certainly not the best Grizzard book.
September 8, 2025
So good.
May 15, 2016
read some time in 1990
Read
April 11, 2018Nobody can break your heart in the span of two pages like Lewis Grizzard.
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