Customer Reviews

Redneck Woman: Stories from My Life

5 star:		(16)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

This book borders a little too much on half truths to be non-fiction. Although I believe it is a well written book, for entertainment value, readers should regard it as entertainment only. I have lived my entire life in the exact territory of Southern Illinois that she describes so poorly. In reality, Pocahontas/Pierron is only a short 10-15 minute drive from a VERY AFFLUENT Highland, IL. It disturbed me that she described this very well maintained piece of country as a poor/destitude area with no economic prospects outside of farming or tending bars! My hometown of Carlyle (not CARLISLE, as is it is often spelled throughout this book) is a stones throw away from all of the towns she describes. Pocahontas/Pierron is a short drive from three college towns; Greenville is home to Greenville College, Lebanon home to McKendree College and Edwardsville home to Southern Illinois University. Opportunity is endless in this neck of the woods, most if not all of my friends are working professionals and YES they still live in the area. Yes, I believe she had a rough way to go, but that is simply not the case for most of the people in this area. I would venture as far to say that there are more over-priveleged children in the area than under, you can make that judgement just by driving through the parking lots of Highland High School/Bond County (Greenville) High School/Carlyle High School. These kids are not driving 76' Ford pick ups they are driving 2000 era model vehicles. Highland High is home to a national award winning cheerleading squad (several years running) not to be stereotypical but that usually is not something you find in the ramshackled,trailor ridden "white trash" (as she so elequontly describes it) neighborhood that she portrays. Yes, Pocahontas/Pierron are small towns with not a lot going for them other than a few bars, however it is not like they are a million miles from nowhere. Plenty of opportunity was out there for herself, her mother and her family outside of farm labor and bartending. There are several factories that pay very good wages in Highland and Breese (another town about 15-20 miles south of Pocahontas). Arrow Group Industries in Breese has been providing an extremely good living for many people in that area as their pay is well above the mininum with extremely good benefits, a short drive to the west in Highland will find you at Basler another well paying job that has provided for many families over the years, both of these employers would have been excellent sources of income for Gretchen's Mother, or even Gretchen herself when she came of age however they made a choice to work in the bar scene. Granted both are factories and require a good hard working ethic, however had she finished high school she probably could have landed herself an even better office job in the area and with a little more work and a college degree her opportunities would have been abundent. Did I forget to mention the very well paying state/federal jobs at the 3 prisons within an hour of this area in each direction. These are not jobs that everyone wants however in times of desperation when you have apparently been limited to eating nothing but Possum for three days (another story I find impossible to believe, a good hunter can kill a couple deer in this area and feed a family for a year) these are jobs that are easily obtainable if you have a little initiative. I drink, I have even spent a couple years of my life serving drinks (while I was raising a child and working my tail off in a factory) however it has been my experience that people that live their lives for the bar, in the bar choose that life.....they refused the opportunities that were right there in front of them to make life better. Gretchen is a great entertainer, but that is just it....her story is entertainment and a far cry from most of the lives people live in this neck of Southern Illinois.

If you are a country music fan and a redneck woman like I am, you learn bits and pieces about Gretchen Wilson through some her autobiographical songs and her website. However, this book fills in the blanks and answers the questions you have about Gretchen Wilson, her life and her rise to stardom.

If you are not redneck woman or country music fan, then you need to read this book just to learn about another sub-culture of America that is often misundersood or ignored. It will be an eye opener for you.

This was a great bio on Gretchen's life. I was glad to see a lot of pictures (my favorite was naturally her on the ATV during the filiming of the redneck woman video since I'm big time into that). I cut the picture out and keep it with me at all times for inspiration. It has brought me good karma and allows me to speak my mind for some reason. :)

It goes to show that you can start at the bottom and work your way up to the top of the world by speaking your mind and doing what you love to do. I have a great deal of admiration and respect for Gretchen and hope to meet her some day to shoot the breeze about life.

It is no wonder that Redneck woman is one of my favorite karoake songs to sing and this book giving her background info helps me to understand all of the lyrics and how true they really are.

GREAT BOOK!!! THIS BOOK COVERS GRETCHEN'S LIFE, GROWING UP IN ILLINOIS AND IN FLORIDA (MAINLY ILLINOIS). IT COVERS HOW SHE WAS RAISED,GROWING UP IN TRAILOR PARKS, LIVING IN MOBILE HOMES AND SHE WAS BORN TO A TEENAGE MOTHER. IT BRINGS OUT THAT HER GRANDMOTHER WAS VERY,VERY SPECIAL TO HER!!! AND ALSO, HER UNCLE VERN WAS SPECIAL!!!

IT COVERS HER PERFORMING AT BIG O'S IN POCOHONUS, ILLINOIS, AND HOW SHE MOVED TO NASHVILLE AND TRYED FOR ABOUT 10 YEARS TO GET A MUSIC DEAL. THEN ONE NIGHT SHE WAS BARTENDING A NASHVILLE BAR, WHERE SHE WOULD SING, AND JOHN RICH (OF BIG AND RICH) LIKED HER SINGING AND INVITED HER TO JOIN THE MUZIK MAFIA. SHE FINALLY ACCEPTED THE INVITATION, AND JOHN RICH WAS ABLE TO GET HER A RECORD CONTRACT!!! HER FIRST HIT "REDNECK WOMAN" WAS BIG!!!!
THE REST IS HISTORY!!!

OH, IT COVERS THE BIRTH OF HER DAUGHTER GRACE WHOM SHE LOVES VERY MUCH!!! GRETCHEN MAY SEEN LIKE A PARTY ANIMAL, BUT IS A VERY RESPONSIBLE LADY AND A TRUE PROFESSIONAL!!!

ANYWAY, THIS IS A GREAT BOOK ABOUT A GREAT LADY!!! THANK YOU "REDNECK WOMAN" FOR SHARING THIS BOOK WITH US FANS - GO GIRL!!!

I RECOMMEND THIS ONE!!!!

Very disappointing as the author keeps repeating what they have already said. It's old and tiring. Boring and Gretchen is not boring.

I thought this book was great i was already a big fan before i read the book but now that i have also read the book it made me love and respect her even more. she is an inspriation to me gives me hope in life through her music. thanks gretchen your great!!!

This is an excellent read! it'a funny, sad and true to life!!

I always appreciate someone telling "the other side of the story," as CC Girl has done in her review here.

Castlegrrl : It's unfortunate that Amazon does not provide a spell-checker as do most email programs, as even though I am a teacher I find myself making spelling errors myself. This does not detract from this review at all; in fact, having grown up half my life in Ill. I was very surprised to hear Wilson describing the area as "poverty-stricken" myself. You really should think before you attack someone else's review as we all are describing our own experiences, no more and no less. Everyone has the right to their own experience and the right to describe it.

I am very glad that CC Girl took the time to describe their experience living in this area. I admire Gretchen for finally going for her GED, as without even a high-school education, this could well have led to her outlook in the past. This does not take away from her major success(es) she has achieved, but there is always "another side to the coin." Someone's story is always only from their own experiences and perspectives, so I appreciate another's experiences in the same area or situation. I wouldn't say Wilson was "trying to make it more redneck that it is," it's just that we can only describe our own personal experiences when we write about our own life.

Thank you CC Girl for telling more of the story of this lovely area in Illinois. I love Illinois, especially southern Illinois, and spent some of the happiest years of my life out in the country at the university town of Charleston Ill. I am glad to see, due to CC's comment, that people will not think of this area as it has been described only from a poverty-stricken, beer-drinking "redneck" point of view. There's nothing wrong with describing one's own point of view, mind you, being redneck or drinking beer, it's just a limited perspective that we all have. I welcome other people's opinions even if I don't agree with them or haven't experienced them.

I would NEVER consider CC's comment to be a "diatribe." Shame on Castlegrrl (can't spell her own name?) for attacking another person's experiences. She acts as if she was being attacked personally. That is not what is happening here, not at all. Thanks again, CC, for the positive words about Southern Illinois.

I have not commented on the problems that alcoholism brings, as that is another whole story, but "people that live their lives for the bar, in the bar choose that life" as CC points out, does change things a great deal. CC has presented many important opinions here, and very clearly stated. Excellent and very welcome comment.

got this book for myself great book easy to read hard to put down. a real story you can relate to.

Absolutely loved this book. I love ordering from Amazon. The free shipping saves a bundle. The items I have ordered have always arrived promptly and packaged well.