The Rocking Chair Reader: Coming Home [Paperback]

Helen Kay Polaski (Editor)

Book Description

Series: Rocking Chair Reader | Publication Date: October 2004

Family traditions. Neighborly values. Community pride. In The Rocking Chair Reader series, readers are taken back in time to pre-1955 small-town America, where life was simpler and old-fashioned values meant something. Coming Home, the flagship title in this new inspirational series, features more than sixty true stories from ordinary folks who return to such small towns as . . .

Albertville, Alabama

Brownsville, Pennsylvania

Clyde, North Dakota

Felton, California

Grand Junction, Colorado

Indian River, Michigan

Marshall, Texas

North Arlington, New Jersey

Rupert, Idaho

Westport, Massachusetts

Brimming with small-town wisdom and warm nostalgia, the first in the series, Coming Home, presents the full flavor of the towns the way they used to be-and the way we want to remember them.

As an added feature in this magnificent volume, ten towns have been specially profiled, highlighting history, points of interest, and fascinating trivia. So sit back in your favorite rocking chair and enjoy these tales that evoke nostalgia for past eras and the homespun flavor of Main Street, USA.

Editorial Reviews

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

From "The Redbirds," by Sandy Williams Driver of Albertville, Alabama

About a week after my sister left, our postman, Mr. Mabry, rang the front bell and hand-delivered an envelope covered in funny looking stamps. It was our first letter from Alaska. Momma read it at least fifty times that afternoon. I liked the last part the best because it contained some very important words especially for me: Tell Sandy that every time she sees a redbird, I'll be thinking of her.

Brenda and I loved anything red, especially the scarlet-colored birds often seen fluttering about in our shaded back-yard. I was ecstatic when I rushed out the back door and a stately cardinal flew right past my smiling face. Surely Brenda had sent it straight from her new home to let me know I wasn't forgotten.

I saw many redbirds while my sister was gone and I talked to the ones close enough to hear my wishes. Then one day in May 1971, a whole family of redbirds filled the dogwood tree in our yard. I stood under the blooming branches and couldn't help thinking that Brenda must be trying to tell me something. I rushed into the house and skidded to a stop as I entered the kitchen.

Momma was crying and sobbing loudly. Fearing the worst, I wrapped my arms around her waist and held on tight, bracing myself for the impending disaster.

"She's coming home, Sandy. Your sister is coming home," she said in broken sobs.

Product Details

• Paperback: 288 pages
• Publisher: Adams Media Corporation (October 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1593371942
• ISBN-13: 978-1593371944
• Product Dimensions: 7.8 x 5.3 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,262,314 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Going Home Again..., March 24, 2005

By 

Mercedes L. Johnmeyer "The Most Happy" (Summerville, SC) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Rocking Chair Reader: Coming Home (Paperback)

I really enjoyed this book. It consists of about 70 or so very short stories (each maybe two or three pages) about going home. I am currently getting ready to move away from the town I've lived in pretty much my whole life, and am kinda bummed about it, but reading this book was just what I needed. It reminds us that no matter how far away we get from home or family, and regardless of how long we're gone...coming back is such a welcoming feeling. I look forward to the next Rocking Chair Reader: Memories From the Attic.

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Your Neighbors, Traditions, Community Pride, December 24, 2004

By 

Picky Reader "Ann" (USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Rocking Chair Reader: Coming Home (Paperback)

We all know about the wildly popular "Chicken Soup for the Soul" anthologies. The "Rocking Chair" readers are just as good if not better. What makes this first series book different is that its stories are not only based on smalltown America, but as an added feature, the book profiles about 10 of these small towns, giving the reader its history and town facts. If your small town isn't mentioned, you'll be familiar with at least one - the book's that encompassing. Each writer takes you on a journey into their own precious past, where life had a different taste and feel. The stories are a celebrated snapshot into someone's life, someone's past, into someone's heart. You won't be disappointed. Helen Kay Polaski has done a wonderful job in not only her editing skills, but in compiling tales of what it's like to come home, even if it's only through our hearts.