PublishedSimon & Schuster, November 2018 |
ISBN9781925791921 |
FormatSoftcover, 304 pages |
Dimensions23.4cm × 15.3cm |
'Where I grew up, girls like me knew our place ... we understood that stepping off the prescribed path in any way meant risking it all, and probably losing.'
On the outside, Tena Clark's childhood in rural Mississippi in the 1960s looked like a fairytale. Her father was one of the richest men in the state; her mother was a beauty. The family lived on a sprawling farm and had the only swimming pool in town. Tena was given her first car - a navy blue Camaro - at twelve.
Behind closed doors, her parents' marriage was a swamp of alcohol, rampant infidelity and guns. Adding to the turmoil, Tena understood from a very young age that she was different from her three older sisters, all beauty queens and majorettes. She didn't want to be a majorette - she wanted to marry one.
On Tena's tenth birthday, her mother walked out on her father for good and Tena was left in the care of her black nanny, Virgie, who became Tena's surrogate mother and confidante - even though she was raising nine of her own children.
It was Virgie's acceptance and unconditional love that gave Tena the courage to stand up to her domineering father, the faith to believe in her mother's love, and the strength to challenge the bigotry that defined her world and be her true self.
PRAISE FOR SOUTHERN DISCOMFORT
'Tena Clark is a pioneering force of nature, and her story is as powerful, riveting and inspiring as she is.' Maria Shriver
'A brave, wildly engrossing memoir.' Bill Clegg, author of Did You Ever Have a Family
'It's easy to see how this book has been compared to The Help. But Clark's debut is an entirely original - and true - story.' Kirkus Reviews
Amy is a keen children’s book nerd and spends a lot of time reading and reviewing picture books with her toddler, Fenrir. But it’s not all colourful pictures! Her passion is getting kids reading, and her life's mission is to get the right books in the right hands. Ask her for advice or recommend something to her and watch her eyes light up!
This memoir has an addictive quality that pulls you in and makes you want to read it. Growing up white, wealthy and (secretly) gay in Mississippi in the 50’s and 60’s was an adventure all of its own. With an alcoholic mother who outcasts herself with her embarrassing behaviour and habits and a money hungry, womanizing, fairly absent father, Tena was still brought up with love and friendship from her black nanny, Virgie, while trying to discover who she is and where she stands in the world. Tena’s story is a heartbreaking portrayal of the secrets of society, the fight to abolish racial prejudice and slavery in a tiny town full of bullheaded residents, true love and finding out that not everything is truly as it seems. If you’ve read The Help, this is a brilliant book to pick up next, full of honesty, emotion, heartbreak and redemption.
