Downhill Turtles: Posts on Rural Heritage, Small-Town Life, Pastoral Ministry, and Hospice Care

by John Hicks

These ninety-nine brief stories, reflections, and vignettes relate to varied experiences and interests. Originally written as weekly posts to Facebook, they deal with agrarian life and poverty in the early 1900s, baby boomers’ upbringing and family life in small-town Northeast Texas, and pastoral and hospice ministry in the 1980s and 1990s. Stories of rural pastoral care and numerous posts on hospice work will often retain their original devotional character and will be helpful to others who have experienced loss and grief, as well as to pastors, social workers, and healthcare professionals. As posted to Facebook, these episodes were written as if to be read aloud among friends; a reader may find it hard to resist doing just that.

275 pages, Kindle Edition

Published October 1, 2024

About the author

Emily Elizabeth Richards? A character I invented as author of her novel My Deadbeat Dad & The Court Where I Lost Him & What God Told Job by Emily Elizabeth Richards, the way Robinson Crusoe was once listed as the only-known author of his autobiography, and Bridget Jones the only-known author of her diary.
As Netflix might say: Cerebral. Dark. Emotional.
Volume One: The Fowls of the Air
Volume Two: The Rain and the Sun
In paperback and hardcover and Kindle formats.