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Grits (Girls Raised in the South) Guide to Life
They're called Sweet Potato Queens, Steel Magnolias, Ya-Ya Sisters, and Southern Belles, but at heart they're just plain Grits—Girls Raised in the South!Now, Deborah Ford, founder of Grits® Inc., reveals the code behind the distinctive -and irresistible-style of the Southern woman. Equal parts sweet sincerity and sharp, sly humor, The Grits Guide to Life is chock-full of Southern charm: advice, true-life stories from honest-to-god "Grits," recipes, humor, quotable wisdom, and more. Readers will learn vital lessons, including: how to eat a watermelon in a sundress; how to drink like a Southern lady (sip...a lot); and the real meaning of PMS (Precious Mood Southerner).
This charming book is destined to become a bible for the Southern girl-whether born and bred, expatriated, or adoptive-and her many admirers.
This charming book is destined to become a bible for the Southern girl-whether born and bred, expatriated, or adoptive-and her many admirers.
272 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2003
37 people are currently reading
1574 people want to read
About the author
Deborah Ford
4 books11 followersDeborah Ford is the founder of Grits, Inc., a merchandising company specializing in women's apparel.
In 1995, Ford--then a high school volleyball coach in Alabama--began printing T-shirts emblazoned with "Girls Raised in the South" to inspire her players. The response she received was so overwhelming that she quit her teaching job and took her products to an apparel trade show. Her multimillion-dollar business sells GRITS books and merchandise world-wide to Southerners and wannabe Southerners.
Her first book, "The GRITS Guide to Life," was a "New York Times" Bestseller and SEBA Award winner, and spurred the series of lifestyle books that include "GRITS Friends Are Forevah" and "Puttin' on the GRITS."
In 1995, Ford--then a high school volleyball coach in Alabama--began printing T-shirts emblazoned with "Girls Raised in the South" to inspire her players. The response she received was so overwhelming that she quit her teaching job and took her products to an apparel trade show. Her multimillion-dollar business sells GRITS books and merchandise world-wide to Southerners and wannabe Southerners.
Her first book, "The GRITS Guide to Life," was a "New York Times" Bestseller and SEBA Award winner, and spurred the series of lifestyle books that include "GRITS Friends Are Forevah" and "Puttin' on the GRITS."
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 85 reviews
June 25, 2009
I've lived in the south for over 10 years, and am still working on acquiring an accent. Sadly, there's not enough of it around to hear constantly. Last week at gymnastics I hear one woman call her daughter's name "Aleevia!..." I thought - poor girl was named after a pain medicine. It took me a while to realize her name was Olivia. Anyway, I have a magnolia tree but I still need an iron skillet, the ability to cook, & the amazing poise & hospitality that eludes me.
July 24, 2007
Maybe it's just me but I thought this book was hysterical. There are probably some women out there who live by this book and believe every word to be a truth to live by as far as how a Southern Girl show act and behave but I found it a comical review of women and the expectations that society puts on them - especially if they are from the south. There are chapters that I swear I thought that author must have interviewed my grandmother in order to write because I could hear her voice coming through the pages. While there are a few things that I am sure I could take as a lesson learned for the most part I just thought this was an amusing read that pokes fun at the sterotypes and proves to me that I am not really a "Grits Girl" - no matter what my grandmother says.
June 11, 2010
I picked this book up at a rummage sale. I don't know why, it just grabbed my interest for some reason. I think deep down I've always wanted to live in the South, be a Southern Girl. This book has lots of info on being Southern. It also has some fabulous recipes. Which I'm going to try out now that I'm retired. YEA!!! It also has some very famous Southern ladies with stories. It is loaded with lots of stories, little pieces of wisdom and words with their meanings. If you happen to stumble onto this book, pick it up, it's a great book to learn lots of other things about another part of our country.
January 6, 2009
I read this in college. It is more of a charming reflection of growing up southern rather than a serious how-to book. People who have lived in the deep South will appreciate this book for how it resonates with them.
September 14, 2011
This is one FUNNY_BUT_REAL,book!If you were born & raised in the SOUTH..you will know from page 1_that you're in store for an adventure..white shoes after Labor Day,gloves & purses,shoes matching,manners?
June 19, 2019
This book is cute and fun. It's also a quick read. While I can't agree that "y'all" is singular and "all y'all" is plural, I appreciate that it was said for the sake of style and humor, so that's OK. I think I may just have to get my hands on a copy of one of Ford's other books, like "Puttin' on the Grits: A Guide to Southern Entertaining" the next time I am in the market for a fun read.
September 3, 2012
I loved the content but the book is structured in such a way that it is a very aggravating read. The whole book is broken up by quotes, recipes and anecdotes. Sometimes it is two pages before you get back to the paragraph you were reading.
March 3, 2012
The GRITS (Girls Raised in the South) Guide to Life is either tongue-in-cheek, out-of-date, misinformed, mostly pertaining to the rural South, or all-of-the-above. While it is sprinkled with a few chuckles here and there, and there is a nice recipe for mint juleps, I think that almost anyone could find something within the pages of this book that irritates.
June 27, 2010
A few times I found myself thinking, "Wow, that's so true!" but most of the time, it seemed the authors relied solely on stereotypes that could be applied to lots of girls, everywhere.
May 22, 2014
cute and oh so very true; we GRITS are special
January 27, 2018
If you were born from the south or born in the north, this book is for you. You will learn to appreciate your southern charm, or gain knowledge on how to be a GRIT through this book!! So put on your best set of clothes, get out your pantyhose, sip on some sweet tea, and put on some jazz because you are in for a treat!! Highly recommend to every southern and northern gal!
June 27, 2017
I found this book at a library sale and it sounded kinda cool. Being from the south, I thought it would be cool to read. This ended up being about the deep south. I'm from N.C., and a lot of this just wasn't applicable, at least not in my family. This is more like Louisiana or Alabama, the hardcore southern states. I thought it would contain more pointers, advice, and wisdom, but then it morphed into just a book about all things southern.
'Its often said that we Southerners get our charm from our historically aristocratic background.' I've never heard of that. It's called Southern culture and it started 3 centuries ago when European settlers came to the south.
I'm southern and even I'm insulted by this: 'no one can argue with the fact that Southern girls are some of the most beautiful out nation has to offer.'
I had no idea there were natural pearls found in nature and cultured pearls that are man-made, from the insertion of something like a grain of sand inside an oyster she'll.
'Worn by similarity cultured Southern belles ranging in circumstance from the country club to the trailer park.'
That's insulting.
The pearl pop quiz was crazy cause they all looked exactly the same. Then it doesn't even give the answer! Something like that didn't work out, because it was a drawing or pearls and not actually a picture, so it was pointless.
'A grits girl treated without TLC may end up a PMS...a precious moody southerner.' Hm, that explains some things.
I couldn't believe Elvis'grandma was Edie Hand's great aunt!
This were really cool facts: 'In educated circles, southern speech is considered aristocratic, and for good reason: it is far closer linguistically to the Queen's English than any other American accent. Scottish, Irish, and rural English formed the basis of our language years ago, and the accent had held strong ever since.'
In charleston, it's hard to tell a British accent from a native.
'In the Delta of Mississippi and Louisiana, the mixture of French, West Indian, and southern formed two dialects--Cajun and Creole--that in some places are far more like French than English.' Very interesting!
Dialects like Carolina mountain, virginia Tidewater and South Carolina Low.
Grits take care not to ruin the napkin. Well use paper napkins, then!
That's good to know to use the silverware from the outside in, and they'll be removed with each dish.
I was surprised when it said you can't drink through a straw. This is definitely about rich southerners.
'Do not divorce the salt and pepper shakers.' Pass both. Haha!
I couldn't believe the story of Edie Hand with George Lindsey (Goober of Mayberry fame). I looked up George Lindsey and it's Goober from the Andy Griffith show! These are definitely rich, privileged, well-connected women.
The quote from Leann Rimes is outdated. Kinda made me cringe cause it said her &her husband would tell their kids their love story, and then she cheated on him.
It was cute how under The Right Men it had Andy Griffith and Peyton Manning
'Only agree to marry a man who loves you more than you love him. If he doesn't love u like he means it now, he never will.' That was interesting advice, and it made me think of my grandma on my mom's side, because I remember her telling me and my sister that when we were younger. So that was nice to hear.
This was sweet: 'Your right Man is out there, waiting--you just have to know where to look. It's a challenge, but it's just about the most fun you're ever going to have. Remember, he's an anxious as you are. If not, there's something wrong with him already.'
Mentions romantic engagements at beach or remote cabin in the smoky mountains. That would be great!
I like the advice on marriage, how it can take up to a year to get your marriage 'sea legs.'
I didn't know Julia Roberts and Faith Hill were married twice!
'For grits girls, cooking is strictly optional. That's what restaurants are for, honey!' Good to know!
I like the mention of Native American's gifting the settlers with corn and berries, and how pigs came from Hernando de Soto.
Dolly Parton's favorite meat loaf recipe! I can't believe that's in here!
That's amazing collard greens, okra, peas, yams, watermelon, and peanuts came from Africans brought over as slaves.
I've never heard of sun tea; it's warmed and brewed by the sun.
They said you get served sweet tea that's just iced tea with sugar in it, which isn't real sweet tea. So I'm confused as to what sweet tea really is!
'Real Grits always order the same kind of coke--diet!' No they don't.
I like the mention of parties in the old south; how they were big affairs. Because plantations were far apart, they lasted for days and had lavish dances, dresses and meals.
The Junior League and Debutante balls are modern versions of old southern plantation balls, as well as graduation, birthdays, yearly seasonal galas, and weddings.
-I like the South's Biggest Balls list. Raleigh has The North Carolina Debutante Ball.
At harvest time, neighbors would help each other. While the men worked in the fields the women would make a big meal. First sitting (dinner) would be on a long table outside and they'd cover the leftovers and that would be supper.
-'Food& drink must be the best, no matter the budget. If you can't afford to do it right, don't do it. There's no shame in a drinks-only party.'
That was a little snobby!
It says you don't have to get married in a church in the evening. 'In fact, there are advantages to going another way.' And then it doesn't say what the advantages are.
-I like the list of what to take to your ceremony.
Dress, shoes, slip, hosiery, veil, gloves, jewelry, brush, hairspray, lipstick, chalk for stains on your dress(ingenious!), mirror, tissues, safety pins and prayers!
It said if you've been married before to combine all your diamonds to have a dynamic piece made for yourself, because grits never return gifts that men gave to them. (The only exception is if he's given you his mama's ring, and you've had an amicable parting). So if it wasn't amicable, that would be ok to keep it? I don't agree with that.
That's nice to include special pieces in your wedding from family that aren't living, so it feels like they're there.
It says grits never eat the morning of their wedding. Wow! That's interesting.
I agree that you HAVE to write thank you notes. Some people don't do them.
'You may think you've got football, religion, and humor up north--well, maybe not humor, since we've never known a funny Yankee, including that Seinfeld.' Wow that's rude! Seinfeld is hilarious!
'Our humor deals with race, gender, sexual identity, class, occupations, politics, home, neighborhoods, education, and especially family. We know our limits, but we don't consider any group sacred! So don't get offended, now. If we tell a joke on you, that just means you're part of the family.' Try to excuse it away.
In the 1800s northerners called southerners inbred backwoodsmen and uneducated buffoons and soon they were at war. 'After emancipation, southerners turned this hard edge back on their own culture, using jokes about African-Americans as a flimsy disguise for racism and hatred.'
Sounds like the war started because of a few insults. I think it was more than that. African Americans used humor as a way of defiance and pride. I'd love to know what kinds of jokes were being said on both sides. I never knew humor was a part of the war.
The 'You Might Be a Yankee if...' should have been more realistic.
For Funky southern festivals, the woolly worm festival in banner elk NC was on there!! I wanted to do that! I was in banner elk when they were having it, and I saw the worms racing up the strings when I drove by.
A good joke can result in head bobbing, finger pointing, neck swiveling, hip swinging and hair tossing. 'That's why they say humor is almost as good as sex!' I've never heard that!
This must be old, mentioning Britney Spears and N'Sync.
'She is a classic southern image of femininity; sweet, sultry, and a little bit dangerous. Her southern roots have kept her groomed--she'd never leave home unless her hair was just right, even if there weren't a hundred photographers ready to snap her picture.' I bet they've eaten those words; this was clearly written before her breakdown.
I don't think I've ever heard GRITS by chuck Leonard:
'Aint a red-blooded boy who wouldn't agree. Those girls get to them like they get to me.'
'Most people embrace the truth that if a particular faith strikes your heart and feels right to your soul, it's a sign to stay put.' That's nice.
'The south has always been about fire and brimstone. That's what religion is all about, after all: passion. If others r willing to die for our sins, the least we can do is really belt out a good hymn about that sacrifice.' That's not passion. I think it's kinda crazy, and I definitely don't wanna go to a church like that.
In the 1980s a baptist church in Alabama posted in the newspaper how many ppl were going to hell. Leave it to the baptists.
Methodists: 'they love short sermons, amateur choirs, and potluck dinner on the lawn after service.' Considering I grew up going to a Methodist church, that was a tad insulting.
'There is nothing quite as southern as a baptist.' I don't like that Baptists think their the superior church. Why is that, anyway?
Baptists gave the south billy graham and stonewall Jackson. Well the Methodists gave Martin Luther King Jr., so I think that's pretty good company to be in.
You said, baptists are serious.
'Like most of us, baptists have an amazing ability to turn the other cheek, especially on their own little missteps.' Hah!
Dr Rochelle Bronson's story was nice in that she'd stop and think what would make god happy a certain situation.
There's some contradictions here: earlier it said cheerleaders are just beauty pageant wannabes, now it says '& never even imply within earshot of a Grits that cheerleading, dance team, and majorettes aren't sports!' 'They're just as competitive and psychical as football or basketball.'
NC is considered mountains east. The rest is low country.
The Deep South has been called Hell on Earth. Wow!
Don't mess with Texas came from a 1970s anti-litter campaign! Who knew?
The story of her dad showing her where the spark-plug wires and distributor cap was was funny. He said so if she's out with a boy& the car breaks down, she'll know what to look for, if he deliberately removed them!!
I like the homemade gingerbread house recipe!
Wow a quote from ellen degeneres!
Surprise reference to Mary Kay Ashe, Mary Kay cosmetics.
Beauty pageants started in the Trojan war?!
I didn't think of pageants being a way for girls to get into college, travel, network, and turn dreams into reality.
That's crazy Deborah Ford came up with GRITS--girls raised in the south--for her volleyball team in 95, and eventually it turned into a business. It's amazing how things can start.
-Margaret Mitchell wrote gone with the wind while she was recovering from a foot injury.
Wow Martin Luther King Jr's daughter was in here!
This ended up just being ok.
It was more a book on the south than a 'guide to life.' There's nothing you can really take away from it. I wanted more advice and tips and things, instead of a biography of the south. This got into food, music, and things like that that didn't have to do with southern women.
It had a white, privilege, elitist air to it throughout. It would have been nice to read about everyday southerners.
I'm from the south, and even I was insulted. Northerners will definitely be insulted by this, like saying beauty is from the south.
I didn’t notice it until I got further along, but the book was broken up strangely. The flow was totally broken up, because there would be the text, and then separate stories on the side, quotes, tips, and sayings. I’d have to stop reading the text, read the other stuff, then flip back to the text to remember where the sentence cut off at. They should have finished the text before moving on to other things, so you could read each thing all the way through.
It was insulting on pg 43 where it said if you can be ready in less than 30 minutes, you prob shouldn’t be leaving the house at all.
'Its often said that we Southerners get our charm from our historically aristocratic background.' I've never heard of that. It's called Southern culture and it started 3 centuries ago when European settlers came to the south.
I'm southern and even I'm insulted by this: 'no one can argue with the fact that Southern girls are some of the most beautiful out nation has to offer.'
I had no idea there were natural pearls found in nature and cultured pearls that are man-made, from the insertion of something like a grain of sand inside an oyster she'll.
'Worn by similarity cultured Southern belles ranging in circumstance from the country club to the trailer park.'
That's insulting.
The pearl pop quiz was crazy cause they all looked exactly the same. Then it doesn't even give the answer! Something like that didn't work out, because it was a drawing or pearls and not actually a picture, so it was pointless.
'A grits girl treated without TLC may end up a PMS...a precious moody southerner.' Hm, that explains some things.
I couldn't believe Elvis'grandma was Edie Hand's great aunt!
This were really cool facts: 'In educated circles, southern speech is considered aristocratic, and for good reason: it is far closer linguistically to the Queen's English than any other American accent. Scottish, Irish, and rural English formed the basis of our language years ago, and the accent had held strong ever since.'
In charleston, it's hard to tell a British accent from a native.
'In the Delta of Mississippi and Louisiana, the mixture of French, West Indian, and southern formed two dialects--Cajun and Creole--that in some places are far more like French than English.' Very interesting!
Dialects like Carolina mountain, virginia Tidewater and South Carolina Low.
Grits take care not to ruin the napkin. Well use paper napkins, then!
That's good to know to use the silverware from the outside in, and they'll be removed with each dish.
I was surprised when it said you can't drink through a straw. This is definitely about rich southerners.
'Do not divorce the salt and pepper shakers.' Pass both. Haha!
I couldn't believe the story of Edie Hand with George Lindsey (Goober of Mayberry fame). I looked up George Lindsey and it's Goober from the Andy Griffith show! These are definitely rich, privileged, well-connected women.
The quote from Leann Rimes is outdated. Kinda made me cringe cause it said her &her husband would tell their kids their love story, and then she cheated on him.
It was cute how under The Right Men it had Andy Griffith and Peyton Manning
'Only agree to marry a man who loves you more than you love him. If he doesn't love u like he means it now, he never will.' That was interesting advice, and it made me think of my grandma on my mom's side, because I remember her telling me and my sister that when we were younger. So that was nice to hear.
This was sweet: 'Your right Man is out there, waiting--you just have to know where to look. It's a challenge, but it's just about the most fun you're ever going to have. Remember, he's an anxious as you are. If not, there's something wrong with him already.'
Mentions romantic engagements at beach or remote cabin in the smoky mountains. That would be great!
I like the advice on marriage, how it can take up to a year to get your marriage 'sea legs.'
I didn't know Julia Roberts and Faith Hill were married twice!
'For grits girls, cooking is strictly optional. That's what restaurants are for, honey!' Good to know!
I like the mention of Native American's gifting the settlers with corn and berries, and how pigs came from Hernando de Soto.
Dolly Parton's favorite meat loaf recipe! I can't believe that's in here!
That's amazing collard greens, okra, peas, yams, watermelon, and peanuts came from Africans brought over as slaves.
I've never heard of sun tea; it's warmed and brewed by the sun.
They said you get served sweet tea that's just iced tea with sugar in it, which isn't real sweet tea. So I'm confused as to what sweet tea really is!
'Real Grits always order the same kind of coke--diet!' No they don't.
I like the mention of parties in the old south; how they were big affairs. Because plantations were far apart, they lasted for days and had lavish dances, dresses and meals.
The Junior League and Debutante balls are modern versions of old southern plantation balls, as well as graduation, birthdays, yearly seasonal galas, and weddings.
-I like the South's Biggest Balls list. Raleigh has The North Carolina Debutante Ball.
At harvest time, neighbors would help each other. While the men worked in the fields the women would make a big meal. First sitting (dinner) would be on a long table outside and they'd cover the leftovers and that would be supper.
-'Food& drink must be the best, no matter the budget. If you can't afford to do it right, don't do it. There's no shame in a drinks-only party.'
That was a little snobby!
It says you don't have to get married in a church in the evening. 'In fact, there are advantages to going another way.' And then it doesn't say what the advantages are.
-I like the list of what to take to your ceremony.
Dress, shoes, slip, hosiery, veil, gloves, jewelry, brush, hairspray, lipstick, chalk for stains on your dress(ingenious!), mirror, tissues, safety pins and prayers!
It said if you've been married before to combine all your diamonds to have a dynamic piece made for yourself, because grits never return gifts that men gave to them. (The only exception is if he's given you his mama's ring, and you've had an amicable parting). So if it wasn't amicable, that would be ok to keep it? I don't agree with that.
That's nice to include special pieces in your wedding from family that aren't living, so it feels like they're there.
It says grits never eat the morning of their wedding. Wow! That's interesting.
I agree that you HAVE to write thank you notes. Some people don't do them.
'You may think you've got football, religion, and humor up north--well, maybe not humor, since we've never known a funny Yankee, including that Seinfeld.' Wow that's rude! Seinfeld is hilarious!
'Our humor deals with race, gender, sexual identity, class, occupations, politics, home, neighborhoods, education, and especially family. We know our limits, but we don't consider any group sacred! So don't get offended, now. If we tell a joke on you, that just means you're part of the family.' Try to excuse it away.
In the 1800s northerners called southerners inbred backwoodsmen and uneducated buffoons and soon they were at war. 'After emancipation, southerners turned this hard edge back on their own culture, using jokes about African-Americans as a flimsy disguise for racism and hatred.'
Sounds like the war started because of a few insults. I think it was more than that. African Americans used humor as a way of defiance and pride. I'd love to know what kinds of jokes were being said on both sides. I never knew humor was a part of the war.
The 'You Might Be a Yankee if...' should have been more realistic.
For Funky southern festivals, the woolly worm festival in banner elk NC was on there!! I wanted to do that! I was in banner elk when they were having it, and I saw the worms racing up the strings when I drove by.
A good joke can result in head bobbing, finger pointing, neck swiveling, hip swinging and hair tossing. 'That's why they say humor is almost as good as sex!' I've never heard that!
This must be old, mentioning Britney Spears and N'Sync.
'She is a classic southern image of femininity; sweet, sultry, and a little bit dangerous. Her southern roots have kept her groomed--she'd never leave home unless her hair was just right, even if there weren't a hundred photographers ready to snap her picture.' I bet they've eaten those words; this was clearly written before her breakdown.
I don't think I've ever heard GRITS by chuck Leonard:
'Aint a red-blooded boy who wouldn't agree. Those girls get to them like they get to me.'
'Most people embrace the truth that if a particular faith strikes your heart and feels right to your soul, it's a sign to stay put.' That's nice.
'The south has always been about fire and brimstone. That's what religion is all about, after all: passion. If others r willing to die for our sins, the least we can do is really belt out a good hymn about that sacrifice.' That's not passion. I think it's kinda crazy, and I definitely don't wanna go to a church like that.
In the 1980s a baptist church in Alabama posted in the newspaper how many ppl were going to hell. Leave it to the baptists.
Methodists: 'they love short sermons, amateur choirs, and potluck dinner on the lawn after service.' Considering I grew up going to a Methodist church, that was a tad insulting.
'There is nothing quite as southern as a baptist.' I don't like that Baptists think their the superior church. Why is that, anyway?
Baptists gave the south billy graham and stonewall Jackson. Well the Methodists gave Martin Luther King Jr., so I think that's pretty good company to be in.
You said, baptists are serious.
'Like most of us, baptists have an amazing ability to turn the other cheek, especially on their own little missteps.' Hah!
Dr Rochelle Bronson's story was nice in that she'd stop and think what would make god happy a certain situation.
There's some contradictions here: earlier it said cheerleaders are just beauty pageant wannabes, now it says '& never even imply within earshot of a Grits that cheerleading, dance team, and majorettes aren't sports!' 'They're just as competitive and psychical as football or basketball.'
NC is considered mountains east. The rest is low country.
The Deep South has been called Hell on Earth. Wow!
Don't mess with Texas came from a 1970s anti-litter campaign! Who knew?
The story of her dad showing her where the spark-plug wires and distributor cap was was funny. He said so if she's out with a boy& the car breaks down, she'll know what to look for, if he deliberately removed them!!
I like the homemade gingerbread house recipe!
Wow a quote from ellen degeneres!
Surprise reference to Mary Kay Ashe, Mary Kay cosmetics.
Beauty pageants started in the Trojan war?!
I didn't think of pageants being a way for girls to get into college, travel, network, and turn dreams into reality.
That's crazy Deborah Ford came up with GRITS--girls raised in the south--for her volleyball team in 95, and eventually it turned into a business. It's amazing how things can start.
-Margaret Mitchell wrote gone with the wind while she was recovering from a foot injury.
Wow Martin Luther King Jr's daughter was in here!
This ended up just being ok.
It was more a book on the south than a 'guide to life.' There's nothing you can really take away from it. I wanted more advice and tips and things, instead of a biography of the south. This got into food, music, and things like that that didn't have to do with southern women.
It had a white, privilege, elitist air to it throughout. It would have been nice to read about everyday southerners.
I'm from the south, and even I was insulted. Northerners will definitely be insulted by this, like saying beauty is from the south.
I didn’t notice it until I got further along, but the book was broken up strangely. The flow was totally broken up, because there would be the text, and then separate stories on the side, quotes, tips, and sayings. I’d have to stop reading the text, read the other stuff, then flip back to the text to remember where the sentence cut off at. They should have finished the text before moving on to other things, so you could read each thing all the way through.
It was insulting on pg 43 where it said if you can be ready in less than 30 minutes, you prob shouldn’t be leaving the house at all.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 14, 2015
Interesting take on Southern women. Though I have never lived in the South, there were definitely things Ford mentions that I recognized from my Mississippi grandma. They were poor but there are truisms that cross all economic lines and we got some of them imparted to us. It was a fun read with notable quotes from Southern women such as Oprah, Julia Roberts, etc. and words of wisdom about "GRITS." I would say that the one thing I did not like about the book was the chapter formatting. While I realize that it made for interesting facts, and there really wasn't another way to include these little snippets of Information, reading a paragraph that Ford had written and suddenly find it gone, replaced by a words of wisdom or a glossary, and then resume reading her paragraph on the next page was a bit annoying. Nevertheless, an interesting read.
January 28, 2014
This book was so much fun. I read the kindle sample on an airplane and then had to download the full book. It was perfect for reading on a plane. I struggle to read "heavy" books on planes, and this was light but engrossing enough that it made time fly by.
I really loved reading this and reminiscing on my childhood and hometown. I'm a Kentucky GRITS, and there was so much in this book I could relate to. Obviously there were a few things that was geared more toward life in the Deep South, but there was plenty that related to life near the Appalachians as well.
Some readers may find it a little cutesy or think that it's poured on a little thick, but I imagine those readers didn't grow up south of the Mason-Dixon.
I really loved reading this and reminiscing on my childhood and hometown. I'm a Kentucky GRITS, and there was so much in this book I could relate to. Obviously there were a few things that was geared more toward life in the Deep South, but there was plenty that related to life near the Appalachians as well.
Some readers may find it a little cutesy or think that it's poured on a little thick, but I imagine those readers didn't grow up south of the Mason-Dixon.
August 27, 2008
I got this book from my best Southern girlfriend and it gave me such an appreciation and longing for my Southern "roots" and the wonderful girlfriends I made during my life in the South. A cute, funny and heartwarming read, but I think it can only truly be appreciated by girls who are Southern at heart.
January 30, 2010
I liked What Southern Women Know better. What Southern Women Know (That Every Woman Should): Timeless Secrets to Get Everything you Want in Love, Life, and Work
May 15, 2013
This book was super cute! Full of humor, wit, charm and good advice. I truly didn't think I would end up liking it as much as I did, but maybe it's because I realized how lucky I am for my GRITS sistahs (of both the familial and soul variety), Muthuh, and one very special Gentleman Raised In The South...
March 3, 2014
Fast, funny and frivolous read. Written as though it were a true handbook (part of the reason it is a really quick read), this is full of great quotes, stories and RECIPES about/from the South. I have never lived in the South, but my parents live there now and are friends with many true Southerners, so I know pretty much ever word of this book to be true!
January 11, 2008
Hillarious deliniation of what it is to be a girl raised in the south. Even if you don't want to relate and laugh, you will. Bonus: best fried green tomato recipe I have ever tasted.
PS I am technically from the "appalachian" region and the book definately knows the difference.
PS I am technically from the "appalachian" region and the book definately knows the difference.
April 19, 2009
Ever since my niece explained to me that there was a big difference between a large Mid-Western wedding and a small Southern one I have been fascinated by the Southern way of life. This book is a humorous look into the life of "Grits".
January 6, 2010
Hilarious! I consider myself half a grits(Half Texan). Funny and fun read. A bit gratuitous, but loads of fun even if you're not southern or no nothing about the south except that they lost the war....
May 11, 2011
I was non-stop laughing! A really great read if you are a Southern girl or love somebody who is. Under all the fluff is a lot of practical advice, interesting historical facts, touching stories and classic recipes. And it's a pretty quick read, too!
June 21, 2012
I was all excited about this book, because I love all southern fiction, but this wasn't a
novel at all. It was literally a guide to being a GRIT. I am not sure how I missed that. I
did read it, but it really was mildly amusing at best.
novel at all. It was literally a guide to being a GRIT. I am not sure how I missed that. I
did read it, but it really was mildly amusing at best.
July 12, 2016
I bought this book a few years ago and it is one of my favorites. This adorable little book is so sweet and I love it. It is such a charming and funny take on the culture of the south. This is a book I still take out sometimes and read again.
November 13, 2008
Oh the things a southern girl and boy should know to grow into wonderful adults...or to learn when you are already there.
December 27, 2008
This is one of my favorite books. It is a laugh out loud book regarding Southern Women's manners. Highly recommend it!
March 26, 2009
Good fun book! I could relate to so many things in this book. So glad to be a GRIT from Alabama and Mississippi.
February 12, 2016
This book is funny but sort of ridiculous. I hope no one uses this as an actual blueprint for life. Would probably be a fun read for my Northern friends though...
September 1, 2009
Very cute guide to being a southern girl
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