We Caught the Best Kind of RASH!

Every month I select a book, an author, whose work I find outstanding.They must be well written, give a new voice to literature, and bewilling to venture to our neck of the woods. They also must be anauthor who is yet undiscovered in a big way. Author, Ron Rash was ourspecial guest this month of May! I assure you, he will be famous soon.He is a writer to watch.
Ron teaches is a poet who teaches creative writing and Appalachiastudies at a southern university. He has never roamed to far from thearea in which he has been raised other than book tours. The first time Iand the Pulpwood Queens heard Ron read aloud to our book club we werehooked. If there has ever been an author who gave voice to literature,it is Ron Rash. That southern inflection and knowing just when to pauseand continue makes him a master at storytelling in its finest. ThePulpwood Queens voted Ron Rash our favorite read aloud author and Icould not wait to have him back. I selected The World Made Straight asour Pulpwood Queen Book Club Selection and this was no easy read. Thisbook addressed what happens when you take away rural peoples livelihoodof being farmers that also happen to lack in education. We have ageneration of young people growing up trying to figure out what to dowith too much time and no means of support. They turn to other cashcrops which aren't so legal.
I wanted to address the ever-growing population of our country, therural south, that are at poverty level and no means of support. We havea generation of youth turning to drugs as a means of escape andsupport. Here in East Texas and my Marion County, we have a 39% ofadult illiteracy. Most of these people live in the rural areas of thecounty with no means of transportation. These folks have children andhave no skills to teach their children to do better. Education andliteracy is the key to abject poverty, but how do we reach thesepeople. Ron's book raised questions of basically good people growing upand making bad choices. Our conversation was very lively and thoughtprovoking.
There is no longer a black and white world just like their is no longerblack and white television. We live in a world that is all shades ofgrey. Just this week a major story hit the front page of The DallasMorning News and my community. Crystal meth is now being made to flavorstrawberry called sometimes Strawberry Quick to entice children in to anasty and horrendous drug habit. Made to look like the popularchildren's candy Pop Rocks. Scary as I came from the generation ofpenny candy and getting your ten cents worth at the local candy counterat the grocery store. Candy that can now kill and ruin the lives ofchildren. Books can enlighten and educate as well as entertain. ThoughRon wrote a tough book, at least we are now all on the same page as whatwe can do as a book club to be aware of the dangers for our futuregenerations.
Ron also wrote Chemistry and other Stories, a short story collectionthat I chose as our Bonus Book Club Selection published by Picador. Ihave to thank this publishing house for sending Ron to us yet again asyou see he is a two time Pulpwood Queen Book Club Selection author. Iwould like to think I personally discovered Ron Rash but this is oneRash I wish to share with all of you. You would be doing yourself agreat disservice by not reading his wonderful books. In fact, Iencouraged the Queens to read his entire body of work as this author isamazing. Poetry, short stories, novels, he has something for everybodyand the best part is every book is a treasure.
We will have up on our website shortly at www.beautyandthebook.com thevideo interview I did with Ron Rash at my Beauty and the Book. And Imust encourage you as a reader if he is in your neighborhood to go hearRon read in person. I know it was one of my most treasured authorminutes, listening to Ron Rash READ!
Next up, Kathy L. Patrick as a mom, what motherhood means to me and endof the school adventures with my two children, no make that myblossoming young women. With Mother's Day just behind me, I think I nowknow what love is.
Tiara wearing and Book sharing,Kathy L. PatrickFounder of the Pulpwood Queens Book Clubwww.beautyandthebook.com