Review: The Cracker Queen

For the week of Easter 2011 I decided to read a southern writer from Georgia.  I selected The Cracker Queen:  A Memoir of a Jagged, Joyful Life by Lauretta Hannon.  The first important note is that Mrs. Hannon considers herself the anti=southern belle which after reading this book I take to mean she is independent, open-minded, purposeful, and not afraid of too much of anything.  After growing up in the south with a mom who had a drinking problem and was once institutionalized and a father that had a complete family before he met her mother, Mrs. Hannon had it quite rough all throughout her childhood.  Now down south you will come across and be entertained by some truly rare characters.  For instance, in Mrs. Hannon's life there was the goat man who basically was a nomad with a herd of goats, but he lived simply and was happy all the same.  Then there is her mom's sister who evidently sees and feels events before they happen.  At one point Mrs. Hannon and her mom live in a motel with a war veteran who sits by the pool and looks for helicopters believing he is still very much "in the war zone".  I think Mrs. Hannon is most impressed by her father's relatives she visits once each year in the summer who appear educated and poised, particularly her Aunt Martha.  Her time spent working in Savannah actually frightened me the most due to all the gang activity which I must say probably does exist; although, I have never witnessed it on my vacations there.

Mrs. Hannon eventually makes it through college and out on her own with several postions at various colleges in Savannah and in metro Atlanta.  Although she dislikes the commute from Atlanta to the suberbs and eventually quits her job and moves elsewhere, I have enjoyed my time out here in the suburbs of Atlanta and regularly journey into the city.  It is nice to live in the country yet have access to big city amenities.  I think the main theme of this book comes toward the final chapters in which Mrs. Hannon talks about what it takes to be "A Cracker Queen" which in my mind constitutes a non-nonsense, independent-minded, and adventurous southern woman.  Now personally, I could never identify myself as a cracker queen simply because where I grew up in North Carolina "cracker" in reference to a white person was a derogatory term.  I do agree with the concept of strong-willed, take no prisoners, live purposely, and be gracious attitude by which Mrs. Hannon abides.  I think she speaks for a great many strong, southern women and demonstrates a great change that has taken place among the stereotypical southern belle.  If you like vivacious, spirited, southern writers then this is the perfect memoir for you.