Customer Reviews

Whippins Switches & Peach Cobbler

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Old-fashioned child rearing and family are at the forefront of Whippins, Switches & Peach Cobbler, a humorous, yet poignant novel by Brian Egeston. Sheila and Ronald Dempkins are two-thirds of a tight, loving family, the final third being their son, Benny. The family lives a life full of love and laughter, as well as a strong tie to family and tradition. Two traditions that are definitely present are switches (which lead to whippings) and family reunions (a place where kids often find the former).

Due to his parents' discipline of him, and his closeness to his family, Benny grows up to become a well-mannered, highly intelligent young man, but when his growth leads him to move away for college, his absence causes a riff in his immediate family, as his parents begin to realize that their marriage may not be able to survive without the glue of Benny to keep it together.

I have to say, this book was wonderful. It brought back a lot of memories for me. Being old enough to remember a time when I had to go pick my own switch off a tree, I was definitely able to relate to the children in the story, but more so than that, Egeston paints a very vivid story, with well-defined characters, realistic problems and situations, and just the right amount of humor for laughs and drama for tears. I found myself going to my mother after reading this and sitting down with her to talk about the good old days that were full of family reunions, more food than you could ever eat, and the inevitable switch...we both had our tales. I would definitely recommend this novel to anyone who wants to see how true familial love and the bond of that love can withstand any adversity that may come your way.

Whippins Switches, and Peach Cobbler is a novel the distinctly touches on the joys and pains of family issues, family values, and family reunions. It gives you a noteworthy reminder of how "controlled" discipline is essential and how it can create a positive perception on the choices you make as you develop from youth to adulthood. Mr. Egeston most definitely took me back with old cliché such as "Kiss my grits", "Fish-eyed fool", "Jive turkey"...and the list goes on. I thoroughly enjoyed this novel and look forward to reading more of Mr. Egeston's work.

Whippins Switches & Peach Cobbler truly captivates the reader's attention and revives a sense of nostalgia.

I enjoyed the quick wit, humor and real life points of view of the central characters. The author emphasizes how a strong family's core beliefs, value and ideologies impacts the life of Benny Dempkins.

The author also provides insight on discipline, love and communication in the African-American community.

I strongly recommended Whippins Switches & Peach Cobbler to anyone interested in a common sense, realistic family.

I look forward to additional novels by Brian Egeston, a promising new writer.

I enjoyed reading this book. It was hilarious. A couple of evenings, while ridding MARTA, I was in tears from laughing and had to close the book up. I did not want anyone know that I was insane. A couple of people would glance at the title or ask what I was reading. I could relate to this book in growing up in the good old south (the switches & the whippings). There is a little of everything in this book for everyone, tough love, pure love, dysfunctional familes and peach cobbler. I thought the author was going to leave me hanging on a few events, but he threw me for a loop with the ending. Ryan was someone that just slipped through the system without help and Cynthia grew up to be a responsible young lady. But after all of the laughing and death and stress the author pulled a tear jerker on you. I was balling like I lost someone that I loved. The ending with Elizabeth and Benny's mother just brough a smile to my face. Well done. I am not going to add any thing else, because that will spoil the story. A must read!!

This book definately took me back. I believe the storyline was during the same timeframe I grew up in, so I could relate to most of the references made in the book, (Schoolhouse Rock, Fat Albert). It sends a powerful and truthful message about discipline, and results of too little and too much. If you need a quick read to take you back to the summertime cookouts, I recommend this book.

I read this book and it actually made me laugh out loud. The first 3 quarters of the book are very funny to me and they actually took me back to the days of my childhood: getting in trouble in elementary school, being mischievous against the will of my parents, trying to get with girls in high school, etc. It definitely takes you back to a place when times were fun. At the same time you not only get to see the kids and what they do, but you get to see the parents and what they go through because of the actions of a child. The last quarter of the book gets very serious as the ways and means of discipline come back to show us the reality and consequences of our choices and treatment.

While all of this is going on the parents of the main character present another story which is very touching and deep in itself. There are many mistakes that men and women make in relationships outside of cheating and physical abuse and this author does a great job of bringing these issues to the table. I love the honesty and integrity of the men in this book as well as their wives.
Overall, I recomend this novel to anyone that needs some good laughs, to couples to help them balance time between "the family" versus "the couple", to any parent(s) wondering about how to discipline their child, to any couple deciding on having children, and to any man that thinks that being in the home makes him a good father. I was not only entertained by this novel, but I got a lot out of it. Read it.

If you want a book to make you remember your youth,think about the present and dream about the future, I would highly recommend this book. The writer using good technique, real dialogue, presents an authentic portrayal of African-American family life and tells a really good story with not loose ends. He considers an array of life events and social issues without preaching, yet getting his point across. The characters are realistic and described well. The protagaonist, Benny is a joy to listen to and see grow up. This is an excellent work by a new writer. I can't wait to read more from Brian Egeston.

Whippins, Switches, and Peachcobber is a story for all ages and generations. A story of family and union . A young boy growing up to manhood. Experiencing family , life ,love disciple and love. With mother, father , cousins, aunts Margie , aunt Flappy , Uncle William, eating grandma Osee peachcobblers and a host of other family members. There were some many family member that I grew fond of that it was so hard to hold back the tears near the end.

It was not long before I found this story to hard to put down for even a minute. Sometimes I had to stop just to shed a few tears. Then start right back reading. The characters seem so real that the author actually made you feel the pain and grief along with the others . I even felt as if I was right there experiencing it too. Near the end I just could not hold pack the tears any longer.What touching heartfelt ending .

I had the pleasure of meeting Brian Egerston at a writing conference, where I purchased a copy of Whippins. This book took me all the way back to my own childhood and showed what today's society is sorely lacking (man, I can still feel those switches...). The characters all exist in our family trees SOMEWHERE, and even the secondary characters are vibrant. Brian does a nice job of examining both parent/child, romantic, and extended familial relationships. There is a nice twist at the end of the book involving one of the main characters, Benny. When he gets into the car chase and then has to rush to the hospital because...well, you gotta buy the book to find out! Trust me...you won't be sorry! Hungry, but not sorry! :)

Benjamin Dempkins, affectionately known to his family as Benny, is the character we follow from childhood to adulthood. As a child, Benny is a mischievous yet smart child who gets his fair share of whippins. He gets so many that he even creates a "whippin dance" to avoid getting hit. A teen Benny with raging hormones gets his first girlfriend and more than anything wants to have sex, but an incident that happens in the family changes Benny's whole views on sex and teen girls. We follow Benny to college where he is excelling in his studies so well, that he is asked by his professor to participate in a program as a counselor for abused children. It is here that he meets the love of his life, an older woman named Karmin. Karmin and Benny get along great and their relationship progresses despite the age difference. During their courtship a tragedy occurs that changes Benny's life forever.

Sheila and Ronald Dempkins are Benny's parents. Although their relationship is a rocky one, they raise their only son to become a respectable young adult. Along with his parents influence, Benny also has the influence of other relatives at his annual family reunions. The family reunions seem to be the glue that hold the family together. Every year relatives get together from near and far to get caught up on each other's lives. One tradition at the family reunions are the making of the peach cobblers. When a girl makes a peach cobbler, it is then that she is considered a woman in the family. At the family reunions they have a table just for peach cobblers. Benny comes from a very close knit family and with the help of his parents and other very caring relatives he becomes a young man anyone would be proud of.

Whippins, Switches & Peach Cobbler is a very well written book. Reading it took me back to my childhood and brought back many fond memories. I am looking forward to reading more of Egeston's books.

Reviewed by Eraina B. Tinnin