On the Southern Literary Trail discussion

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When I requested this there were no holds on the only copy in our system. I checked it out but could not get to it, instead reading James. Could not renew it because the man is getting noticed and now there is a wait list and not looking good for me. I'm now hesitant to read it because James has set the bar pretty high. Maybe other readers can convince me to follow through when my turns comes.

My hoopla has the audio. I didn’t think it was as good as James but still worthy read. Quirky and clever were my comments.

I see both of these on Hoopla as well. Not sure I'd want to go with the audio for this author.

My hoopla only has audio for this one. Definitely library specific. I’ve been having to get my borrows at midnight bc if I wait until 7 am, the borrows are gone for the day.

The audio for James was amazing!!!!!

I got this at my library, and as of right now there are still a few on their shelves. It's older, so a 4 week borrow. I'm looking forward to reading it.

I read The Trees before James & love each for different reasons! here’s a passage I like by the author, given in an interview (will link below) — I would say stick with it, it’ll have you feeling all the emotions, including some laughter:

“It would be very easy to write a dark, dense novel about lynching that no one will read; there has to be an element of seduction. Humour is a fantastic tool because you can use it to get people to relax and then do anything you want to them. The absurdity of the inattention to the subject was the driving force of the comedy, but the novel lives as much in turning around stereotypes as it does in revealing the truth of lynching. I’m happy to say I’ve pissed off a lot of people for my stereotyping of the white characters. Someone in an interview [objected] and my response was: “Good, how does it feel?” When I started the book, I said to my wife [the writer Danzy Senna], “I’m not being fair to white people”, and then I said, well, fuck it: I just went wild.”

https://www.theguardian.com/books/202...

I wouldn’t really recommend audio for this, unless that is your only option / main preference… there’s parts that are super powerful in print. same with James, but for different reasons… I know the narrator of James is great, but so much of that book is about language & words on the page… just my two cents!

Laura wrote: "The audio for James was amazing!!!!!"

I agree and often audio is not for me but James was an exception. I decided early on that if I got to Trees I'd probably prefer reading it.

This was a short piece on Everett on CBS last Sunday.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q0s4F...

Thank you for sharing that. I had missed watching the last 3 Sundays. I’ve saved his talk at Parnassus for when we read James.

I am looking forward to this one!

I read this no so long ago, so I'll follow the conversation. I lent my copy to someone so I can't re-read.

I read this when it first came out so I ll just follow along even though I do think that it deserves a second reading on my part.

I started this morning and am already halfway done. It's a potato chip book.
Very short chapters that make it easy to "just read 1 more". I think Everett is an evil genius who is also very funny. I've never read anything else by him.

I just learned that he will be speaking in San Francisco on June 3rd and the ticket price includes a signed copy of James. Guess where I'll be that evening.

Lucky you Tom. If I lived in your area, I'd be there with you.

Yes ! Very envious Tom

Enjoy Tom

My review for this book says I read it April 14, 2024 - did not happen. I think it was before I ever joined this group, or at least very soon after. Maybe 2023 or even 2022, but it was not just two weeks ago. I am forgetful - but not that forgetful!

I do remember tho that I thought it was funny - while still maintaining its mystery. However I did not like the ending of the story. For me it just seemed out of kilter to the rest of the book. I did not remember why I read this until I reread the synopsis and saw the Emmett Till reference. I pick up and read anything that references Till - - so that was the reason.

Sandi, have you see the movie "Till"? I watched it on Amazon Prime. It of course replays the murder and the incident that preceded it, but is mostly about his mother's insistence on making the world see what they had done to her boy. I recommend it.

On another note, I wonder if places like the Acme Cadaver Suppy Company really exist. I suppose they have to. Not a business I would want to go anywhere near.

I just began reading and I’m very impressed with Evererett’s writing. Even from the first page. His dexterity with words is just so perfect and used so well. I know I have a great read ahead of me.

I have a few books going so I won’t be able to read this as quickly as I’d like but I’m so looking forward to it and also looking forward to checking out everything else he’s written.

Diane wrote: "Sandi, have you see the movie "Till"? I watched it on Amazon Prime. It of course replays the murder and the incident that preceded it, but is mostly about his mother's insistence on making the worl..."

I watched ''Till'' last year and thought it was excellent. Highly recommended, especially after reading The Trees.

Diane wrote: "Sandi, have you see the movie "Till"? I watched it on Amazon Prime. It of course replays the murder and the incident that preceded it, but is mostly about his mother's insistence on making the worl..."

Yes I have seen it. There were two on at about the same time - one more about what happened to Emmett and the other one more a documentary about his mother. Both were good.

Mississippians please don't be insulted. At one point, one of the characters says that Mississippi should have been a better state, I forget the exact quote. It reminded me of a well-traveled co-worker who once told me that Mississippi was a waste of a great state. Since it has some beautiful places and certainly fostered some great writers, (Faulkner and Welty, for two), I think they were both referring to the racism there.
I finished and will put all further comments on final thoughts. This is one you shouldn't miss if you can get to it.

I agree Diane. I have 7 great grandchildren from that state - some born here in Illinois, and some born in Ms. However all mostly raised in Mississippi. The one thing I can say is that their educational system is not very good. It falls way below the standards set for Illinois and most other state also. In my experience the teachers - some teachers - are there only for a pay check - sadly to say. On the other hand if taught well in the home you will never find children with more manners - the Yes Sirs and Yes Mam's are as intricate as breathing.

Everett has been on my radar for a long time, but so far I haven't mustered the courage to enter his impressive bibliography. I hope I can join you, despite the fact that my reading schedule is quite full at the moment!

I am only about a quarter into the book ahead of this one, so I think it will need a gew days to a week before I start.

I tried the audio. Well done on the narration but my mind kept wandering. I'll hope for my library copy because they now have 2 copies.

I imagine the success of James has caused a lot of people to look for his backlist. My library has 12 copies of Trees, but it's a 4 week book borrow. I got mine early.

I actually looked at bookfinder to get a reasonably priced copy because I had no idea when I’d be able to get a library copy. So now I have my own and it came very quickly even though I didn’t pay any fee for speed.

It will probably be a few weeks before I can get to this book, and in preparation I listened to the episode of Between the Covers dedicated to Percival Everett and The Trees from 2021: https://tinhouse.com/podcast/percival... (a trascript is also available).

Recommended as usual, either before or after reading. Meanwhile that's yet another book in my reading list with trees in the title, following The Hidden Life of Trees and The Word for World Is Forest!

This one has nothing to do with actual trees.

Obviously.

victoria wrote: "I read The Trees before James & love each for different reasons! here’s a passage I like by the author, given in an interview (will link below) — I would say stick with it, it’ll have you feeling a..."

That quote is quite revealing. He does use stereotypes of Black people (oh Lawd! Lawdy Lawdy Lawd!) when describing the words and behavior of Whites in Money. It reminds me of Flannery O'Connor's satire. But her's, IMHO, is much better and funnier than Everett's. In Trees, the satire of dumb whites is, for me, by far the weakest part of the book. It's too easy. It's punching down. I don't get any sense that he knows these people, like O'Connor knows her characters, who were always more than just dumb/ignorant.

That being said, there are passages where the stereotypes fall away, if only briefly, and Everett shows us a real person. The passage where Charlene muses about her dead husband, Wheat: She wonders if he was gay, and almost wishes he had been, because that would've made him more interesting. She's so desperate to find something remarkable in this dull, lazy human with whom she shared her bed. By the end of her musings she realizes she'd been praying (though she doesn't know when, during her thoughts, she started).

And Money isn't named after currency, as Everett implies at the beginning of the novel, but after Hernando DeSoto Money, from a real ritzy planter family and named after the Spanish explorer. Money was a US Senator from 1897 to 1911. I assume his family must have owned a plantation in the immediate area of the Money community. Money was like many other Delta crossroads, a few stores, a post office, etc. that serviced the surrounding plantations (but not the planter families themselves, they'd go to Memphis for their shopping).

Interesting about the origin of the Money name and community. I accepted this as the satire it was meant to be, and could see Everett getting a lot of pleasure from writing it. I certainly took a great deal of pleasure in reading it.

I enjoyed it as well. It's far different than what I expected.

Is there a thread for final impressions? The link I found actually takes me to Atomic Family.

https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...

Try this link. Once there the one comment is a link to atomic family but if you stay with the comments it should be final Trees comments.

Oh good. I’ll try it again.

No that link is only comments for Atomic Family. This is so strange.

That’s weird bc when I click on it the heading says final impressions for Trees. Other than Tom’s one comment which does link you to Atomic. But I’m also using phone app which of course has its own challenges.

Sue wrote: "Is there a thread for final impressions? The link I found actually takes me to Atomic Family."

I suppose it's this one?

Sorry folks. I posted the link to Atomic Family by error. That has been corrected. You can access the link normally now.

I'm also including the link here.
https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...

Thanks Tom. Now I understand why no one has commented yet. I jut finished last night.

Just notified my hold is available. I know it's never too late but the month is almost over and wish it had come in sooner. Now I have a small pile waiting but will try to get to it and see what the final thoughts thread might have to offer by then.

Better late than never Cathrine. I'm pretty sure you'll appreciate the irony in this one.

I have watched the movie Tom suggested that is based on Erasure,so now I am definitely interested. Everand has The Trees available July 22nd. I will read this before James as James is supposed to be better.