Short and Sweet

I love seasonal reads, and this tiny book by Truman Capote is just perfect. In A Christmas Memory, One Christmas, & The Thanksgiving Visitor, Capote takes a nostalgic look at his early childhood in rural Alabama. Separated from his parents and living with distant older relatives, he describes his world in wonderful detail. His best friend is a sixty-something, developmentally delayed cousin named Miss Sook Faulk. They do everything together-- chores, homework, reading, and holiday baking. Miss Sook nurtures the best of human qualities in young Truman with her gentle childlike ways. Although he addresses some not-so-sweet issues: bullying, drinking and separation, his description of long-ago Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays is enjoyable. A beautifully bittersweet book.DB