Talking Back: Stories from the Big Hair and Pantyhose Years

by Dee Thompson

Dee Thompson was born on the Fourth of July, scrawny but tough and independent. Despite her mother’s orders, she refused to be a “little lady,” stole her brother’s toys, ran around naked, played pranks, and was generally a Hot Mess. Childhood meant growing too fast, not fitting in, enduring hiking and folk dancing with a scowl, and singing loudly every time they’d let her onstage. When she graduated from college with a degree in Drama and couldn’t get a job, even at the Waffle House, her father shipped her off to paralegal school. For the next 15 years or so Dee honed her legal skills preparing cases for trial, and putting up with some very eccentric attorneys. She also earned a master’s degree in English, moved to the big city, went on a lot of diets and some really bad dates, and tried to be a writer. The first 40 years were a very bumpy ride, but she was fortunate to have parents and friends who cheered her on her in spite of everything.Prepare to be surprised -- to chuckle, to gasp, and to laugh. This unique and irreverent memoir will grab you and not let go.

235 pages, Paperback

Published December 3, 2023

About the author

I earned a BA in Drama and an MA in Creative Writing and I have worked as a freelance writer, a journalist, and a paralegal. My essays have been included in the award-winning books Call Me Okaasan [2009] and The Divinity of Dogs [2013]. I have written a number of novels and they are all on Amazon: Ghosts in the Garden City [2019], Leaf Season [2019], Heart of My Own Heart [2020], Return to Marietta [2022], Dancing in the Wreckage [2023] and The Wedding Conspiracy [2023]. Additionally, I’ve published a cookbook, What’s for Dinner, Mom? and I compiled and edited a posthumous memoir of my mother’s writings, Singing to the Cows [2021]. In December 2023 I published a memoir called Talking Back, Stories from the Big Hair and Pantyhose Years, and it’s available on Amazon. It includes a lot of stories about my first 15 years as a paralegal. I also wrote a guide for new paralegals, Paralegal 411: Tips, Tricks and Timesavers for the Litigation Paralegal. I’ve published numerous articles online and in print, and I’ve been writing a personal blog, The Crab Chronicles, since 2005.

Reviews

[MARK EMBRY · Rating 5 out of 5]

Enjoyable Read

A very charmimg,nostalgic and humorous read. The reader is introduced to a loving and welcoming family by the story teller.