Customer Reviews

The Cracker Queen: A Memoir of a Jagged, Joyful Life

5 star:		(22)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

Am I alone or does anyone else ever meet and enjoy a literary character so much that you want to be her or at least be her friend? Although at times she appears to be larger than life, Retta is the real deal. Her prose takes you on a bumpy ride where at times, like a friend, you are jealous (why don't I have any crazy relatives?), and at times sympathetic (did you see that cover photo?), but most of all you're just eager for her to share another of life's adventures with you (especially ones that involve questionable, criminal activity). Please write us another!The Cracker Queen: A Memoir of a Jagged, Joyful Life

I got this book on a CD from the library, and it was so good, I ordered it so I could re-read it. She led quite the life..and her response
to so much adversity was so positive...very enjoyable book.

Hannon's memoir of her joyful and jagged life is laugh out loud, pee in your pants funny. What is also so delightful it is balanced with unexpected depth and at times we get to peek at quiet and reflective moments. I am recommending it to all of my girl friends and giving it to my mother in law who is the quintessential Cracker Queen. Thanks Lauretta!

Funny, strong, loud, flamboyant, flawed, and impossible to forget! Lauretta Hannon gave me the kick in the tush I needed to be proud of my southern roots! I will read this book more than once, and buy it for every deserving Queen I know. Thank you Lauretta, for the gift of this book.

The Cracker Queen: A Memoir of a Jagged, Joyful Life was an enjoyable read. I think that Laurette Hannon did an exceptional job of sharing her bittersweet life story. I had a love-hate relationship with the book when I first began reading because of the compassion I felt for the little girl who responded to her early challenges with determination and love. I went from laughing out loud to tears as I read about the drunken fights of her parents, her mother's mental despair, her father's early death, and the many hardships she endured while growing up. I enjoyed reading about many of the hallmarks of life in middle Georgia through her eyes, from the chain gang cleaning up along the side of the road to the Goat Man and his entourage of goats traveling Georgia highways.

This is a book that stays with you long after you read it. Hannon certainly leads by example as she emerged from the proverbial "school of hard knocks" as a feisty, successful lady with a great sense of humor and self worth. She is an inspiration, and the book challenges readers to find the best answer for their own question, "What will I do with my pain?"

I had the distinct pleasure of meeting Lauretta shortly after receiving this book. If the stories weren't true, it wouldn't hold quite such the appeal. However, knowing that she's got the court records to back up 95% of the accounts (and knowing that my family could do the same for our own), gives a great deal of accredidation to the claims. It's relieving to know that she can come from such backwoods and twisted roots and still "turn out all right." Bravo Mrs. Hannon.

A bookmark never touched the pages of my copy of The Cracker Queen. Hooked from the moment I picked it up, Lauretta Hannon, enthralls and mesmerizes with her great sense of humor and carefully crafted words. She answers the question of, "What will I do with my pain?" and inspires us to follow her on a journey of rising above the damage and hurt life inevitably brings. She proves that living life out loud with lots of laughter can carry you through just about anything. Like the author wrote, "You, however, do not have to be toothless to enjoy this book. Just Human." Cracker Queen or not, The Regal Essentials the author shares throughout her touching book of love, forgiveness, gratitude, and purpose will benefit all of us in surprising ways, if we let them. Long live the Queen!

It's how life is for most of us, sometimes jagged but often joyful. Southern author Hannon relates those elements of her young years in a very candid memoir. She doesn't spare family feelings, but she also doesn't go for the sensational. She just tells it like it was in a very engaging, entertaining and energetic fashion. You sense some wounds may have further healed in the telling of her story. It may do likewise for some in the reading of it. Diana Black WOOF: Women Only Over Fifty

Just finished this book.
I couldn't put it down. I cried,laughed and rejoiced! Sometimes at the same time.
What a story. I have always known women were strong this is just the written proof.
I have enjoyed Ms. Hannon's tales on National Public Radio for sometime now, but I never knew the hidden story behind them. This book is truly a rise from the ashes, proving you CAN do anything you set your mind to achieve.
A good read whether you be man or woman, A Cracker Queen or not. You just may discover you too are a Cracker Queen!

This was a great book had to lend to 3 of my friends and made them swear to return it. This is truly a home hitter for me.