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A Jesse Stuart Reader
Jesse Stuart Reader provides a sampling of all three literary forms used by Jesse Stuart: the short story (eighteen stories); the biography (selections from God’s Oddling, The Thread that Runs So True, and The Year of My Rebirth) and poetry (twenty-six poems). The book includes Stuart’s especially prepared introduction to each of the stories, as well as to the biographies and poetry section. The book provides the reader with a good introduction to the author and gives a flavor of Stuart’s writing and the range of his artistic endeavors.
342 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 1960
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About the author
Jesse Stuart
178 books57 followersJesse Hilton Stuart was an American writer known for writing short stories, poetry, and novels about Southern Appalachia. Born and raised in Greenup County, Kentucky, Stuart relied heavily on the rural locale of Northeastern Kentucky for his writings. Stuart was named the Poet Laureate of Kentucky in 1954. He died at Jo-Lin nursing home in Ironton, Ohio, which is near his boyhood home.
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
April 20, 2021
Stuart is one of many Kentucky writers whose work I really enjoy. His voice is reminiscent of Wendell Berry and bell hooks. I particularly enjoyed reading this collection during the month of April which he says is his favorite month. His poem "Hold April" is quite lovely, as is his introduction to the story, "Wild Plums" in which he describes a perfect April spring day and how he took advantage of it.
January 16, 2018
Jesse Stuart is a Kentucky born and bred writer. His collection of short stories and poems with his own preface to each work is a classic of pure delight. His first story, “Nest Egg”, has a wonderful story of its own. Stuart wrote the story when he was 16 years old while attending Greenup High School. An interesting aside to Stuart’s education is that before entering Greenup High, he spent twenty-three months in a one-room school house, Plum Grove. The teacher there taught first grade through eighth grade.
But back to Greenup High, his teacher during that sophomore year, Mrs Hatton gave his theme “Nest Egg” an “A”. When Stuart left Greenup High, his one and only suitcase contained many of his themes as he worked first in a carnival, then to Fort Knox, Kentucky in the Army and later in the steel mills. He was trying to save up for college. Finally he found a college, Lincoln Memorial University at Harrogate, Tennessee where he was given work to help pay his way though.
As a freshman in collage English he used “Nest Egg” for an assignment, and received an “A”. Later, doing graduate work at another college he used “Nest Egg” two more times. Both times he received an “A”.
Stuart goes on to tell that after he had become a recognized writer, after many years, he found the yellowed, brittle copy of “Nest Egg” then sent it off to the Atlantic Monthly. Well, his story received an “A” from the Atlantic Monthly too. Stuart recalls, that the money received from it “would have paid for a whole year of Lincoln Memorial University.”
This collection of stories begins with the story “Nest Egg”. Stuart draws upon the smells, the landscape, the colloquial language of Eastern Kentucky to draw us into a boy’s recollection of the improbable hatching of one particular egg, to one particular hen, and the riotous history of this hatchling which ensued. Although it is a story from childhood memory, this is no sugar coated, nursery tale. It is stark and funny and sometimes violent.
In “The Moon Child from Wolfe Creek”, Stuart recalls his first days of teaching in a one-room school house as a young man. There was one boy, Don Crump, who was afraid to come to school. He ran away as the other children entered the school. Don Crump wandered on the slopes above the school as the other students went about their days. The older students offered to chase him down, hog tie him and pull him into the classroom. Stuart had another idea. He remembered how his Dad tamed cattle that had gone wild in the big pasture where they had been left to themselves from late March. Stuart thought he knew exactly what to do.
“In the beginning of the third week , Don Crump walked down the little, narrow, winding valley road with the pupils. Then I got my first good look at this tall, blue-eyed, handsome, intelligent-looking boy. His hair, blond as frost-bitten crab grass, came about to his shoulders. He came onto the schoolyard but he wouldn’t come inside the schoolhouse. I never tried to get him inside…I looked at him and smiled, though I never approached him…”
Stuart tells the rest of the story which is sheer wonderment and very far removed from things learned in University classes about teaching.
The 26 stories in this volume, as well as 26 poems, splash with vibrancy, insight, depth and faultless story telling.
But back to Greenup High, his teacher during that sophomore year, Mrs Hatton gave his theme “Nest Egg” an “A”. When Stuart left Greenup High, his one and only suitcase contained many of his themes as he worked first in a carnival, then to Fort Knox, Kentucky in the Army and later in the steel mills. He was trying to save up for college. Finally he found a college, Lincoln Memorial University at Harrogate, Tennessee where he was given work to help pay his way though.
As a freshman in collage English he used “Nest Egg” for an assignment, and received an “A”. Later, doing graduate work at another college he used “Nest Egg” two more times. Both times he received an “A”.
Stuart goes on to tell that after he had become a recognized writer, after many years, he found the yellowed, brittle copy of “Nest Egg” then sent it off to the Atlantic Monthly. Well, his story received an “A” from the Atlantic Monthly too. Stuart recalls, that the money received from it “would have paid for a whole year of Lincoln Memorial University.”
This collection of stories begins with the story “Nest Egg”. Stuart draws upon the smells, the landscape, the colloquial language of Eastern Kentucky to draw us into a boy’s recollection of the improbable hatching of one particular egg, to one particular hen, and the riotous history of this hatchling which ensued. Although it is a story from childhood memory, this is no sugar coated, nursery tale. It is stark and funny and sometimes violent.
In “The Moon Child from Wolfe Creek”, Stuart recalls his first days of teaching in a one-room school house as a young man. There was one boy, Don Crump, who was afraid to come to school. He ran away as the other children entered the school. Don Crump wandered on the slopes above the school as the other students went about their days. The older students offered to chase him down, hog tie him and pull him into the classroom. Stuart had another idea. He remembered how his Dad tamed cattle that had gone wild in the big pasture where they had been left to themselves from late March. Stuart thought he knew exactly what to do.
“In the beginning of the third week , Don Crump walked down the little, narrow, winding valley road with the pupils. Then I got my first good look at this tall, blue-eyed, handsome, intelligent-looking boy. His hair, blond as frost-bitten crab grass, came about to his shoulders. He came onto the schoolyard but he wouldn’t come inside the schoolhouse. I never tried to get him inside…I looked at him and smiled, though I never approached him…”
Stuart tells the rest of the story which is sheer wonderment and very far removed from things learned in University classes about teaching.
The 26 stories in this volume, as well as 26 poems, splash with vibrancy, insight, depth and faultless story telling.
July 21, 2014
I'm confounded as to why Jesse Stuart is not more well known, or maybe he is and I just don't run in those circles. Either way, his writings are excellent. Short stories that conjure time and place perfectly and biographical sections that are heartwarming and beautiful. His poetry isn't bad, but I'm not a huge poetry fan, so you may have to judge that for yourself. Anyway, this particular book is great because each story is introduced by the author himself, so you get a feel for what he was thinking/feeling when he wrote it. I can't recommend God's Oddling enough because it's just amazing work. An easy read as well, this book will transplant you in Greenup County, KY and nestle you snugly in its embrace.
August 8, 2016
The Country side feel is very good. But the overall impact of the stories is very limited.
November 16, 2023
I found this yellowed pocket paperback collection of Jesse Stuart's short stories and poems at our library's used book sale. I usually read a short story a day. This book was published in 1963 and was written in the first person about the people in small farming towns in Kentucky.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews