Cracker Ingenuity: Tips from the Trailer Park for the Chronically Broke [Paperback]

P.T. Elliott (Author), E. M. Lowry (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 1, 2003

Wondering what to do with all those oil drums in your yard? Does a lack of funds inspire you to race lawnmowers instead of cars, or enter cow-chip-tossing contests instead of bridge tournaments? Ever invite friends over for a fancy dinner only to realize that you're flat broke and fresh out of groceries? Look no further...

Cracker Ingenuity is the ultimate guide to making something out of nothing - a testament to the universal truth that there's more to life than money. Herein you'll find the recipes, instructions, anecdotes, and advice of the masters who have managed not only to get by on hardly a dime, but to have a great time while doing so - from monster truck rallies to state fairs and from high rise trailer parks to four star "troats" (trailer boats).

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Couched as a how-to guide for today's belt-tightening times, this book ostensibly celebrates the all-American resourcefulness that has turned used refrigerators into beer keg coolers and old bathtubs into lawn shrines. But practicalities aside, this is, of course, meant to be a satire, taking the idea of "making do with what you have" to ridiculous extremes. Thus readers get tips for turning old televisions into fish tanks, converting broken down pick-up trucks into backyard pools and using Kool-Aid as hair dye. All this is supposed to have readers laughing down their noses at redneck know-how. If only it were that funny. Though the authors obviously have an eye for tackiness, they fail to turn their material into the stuff of a successful mock handbook. There's no evident irony in their suggestions for how to rig your meter to rip off the power company or how not to pass a drug test, nor in their recipes for such trailer trash delicacies as "Velveeta Fudge" or "Tater-Tot Casserole." Like too much of the book, these recipes are only raw material, still waiting to be shaped into jokes. For all their condescension, filmmaker Elliott and English teacher Lowry have achieved the opposite of the "crackers" they ridicule: instead of making something out of nothing, they've made nothing out of something. B&w photos, 20 illus.
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Review

"Cracker Ingenuity [offers] a collection of the best tips, tricks, and lifestyle enhancements from the trailer park's best and brightest." (Maxim Magazine, 3/01/03)

"This book is highly recommended -- it's interesting and informative, without taking chunks out of anyone's dignity." (Java, 3/01/03)

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Product Details

• Paperback: 240 pages
• Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin; 1st edition (March 1, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312290829
• ISBN-13: 978-0312290825
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.3 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,956,543 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Funny and Insightful, March 5, 2003

By 

"genevievewatson" (Northern Vermont) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Cracker Ingenuity: Tips from the Trailer Park for the Chronically Broke (Paperback)

I began Cracker Ingenuity with high expectations after reading and enjoying P. T. Elliot's last book, 100 Proof. I was not to be disappointed. Cracker Ingenuity is hysterical. The content is totally true blue redneck America with an eye for appreciation of this side of our culture rather than condescension. Many of the "ingenuities" had me actually laughing in my seat as I read and the illustrations seem to fit the authors' ideas perfectly. I would recommend this book for anyone who wants a bit of insight into a part of the U.S. that, while somewhat rough around the edges, is likely in all of us.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Redneck reading, October 27, 2007

By 

Trollhair "bookaholic" (sweetwater, tennessee) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Cracker Ingenuity: Tips from the Trailer Park for the Chronically Broke (Paperback)

Reading this book I could see my neighbors, my community and elected officials. Fast, funny, and if I wasn't living in the South I would swear this was fiction.

5.0 out of 5 stars i've been waiting for a book like this!, May 8, 2003

By 

el maestro (brooklyn, ny United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Cracker Ingenuity: Tips from the Trailer Park for the Chronically Broke (Paperback)

elliot and lowry are important voices resounding in the name of american culture...they are not only able to reveal and share the hidden majesty of the people of this fine country...but are also able to do so with an originality and enthusiasm that is refreshing to read...fun and funny, often times laugh-outloud...this book allowed me access back to my own roots in tennessee...i could see myself in this book and i loved my reflection! thank you ladies!!