Customer Reviews

Ordinary and Sacred As Blood: Alabama Women Speak

5 star:		(18)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This is a splendid bouquet of wildflowers and orchids-- tender, beautiful, fragile weeds and hybrids; there are moments of exultation and sorrow, some caught with the fastest, most spontaneous strokes, some with precision and care. All are masterful and resonant and they stick in the memory for a long, long time.

I laughed, cried, and identified with many of the poems and stories. I sent copies to my sisters and nieces, all of whom said they read the book in one sitting, couldn't put it down.

A collection of poems and stories certain to stimulate and entertain, to provoke and soothe. As I read the writings of these Alabama women, I was fed a satisfying taste of southern life, both of today and in the past. A must read!

wonderful, folksy reading with home folks. Alabama Christmas by Charlotte Miller very sweet.Mamie was a Slave by Helen Blackshear gives insight into other days.

The cover enchants--intriguing photographs on a background the color of Alabama clay--but it is the writing that captivates. These are Alabama's best women writers telling us stories that will not soon be forgotten.

This book has something for everyone(male, female, young, old). It is about real life in the past and present. Different voices from different women.

Just completed the book and loved it all. Alabama women can be proud of such talent. The variety of writers was amazing. Just hope to read more of them all.

I just stumbled across this book in the Birmingham Museum of Art and what a delightful surprise! What a showcase of Alabama women's writing talents. From silly to serious, this book covers it all, from crib to cradle. It left me asking when's the next one coming out and where can I get it!

What an excellent display of the talents of Alabama writers! Alabama is often the brunt of "good ole boy" jokes, skipping over the intelligence and versatility of the abundance of talent found in Alabama. Anyone can relate to this book---from grandmothers and grandfathers and "hard times" which are displayed profusely. Hats off to the contributors to this book and for the editor for taking the time to introduce these poems to America!

Ordinary and Sacred as Blood makes me feel at home among writers--Alabama women writers who have shared their inmost thoughts from every cranny of the state. The variety of their experiences and the ways they have chosen to express them are appealing--poetry, memoir, essay, story. I'm still reading, and I've enjoyed every one--from our wonderful just-retired poet laureate Helen Blackshear to Helen Norris to Susan Murphy and Nabella Shunnarah, from Anne George to Natasha Tretheway to others whose voices are new to me. I look forward to the next chapter from this group.