Summer '08 discussion thread: Gods in Alabama

[Caryl]

Here is our discussion thread for Gods in Alabama, one of our summer group reads. As always, be cautious of reading the posts below if you haven't finished, as they may contain spoilers.

[ILmomtobe]

I happened to read this right before. I found Jackson's blog accidentally and LOVE her style there, so I was thrilled to read her books. I also really connected with her, as she's my exact age, has kids who are almost my kids' ages, left a career similar to mine, and I've had a book idea bopping around in my head for the last year.

I liked the opening of the book, it made me want to read more, but sometimes it felt like she was forcing that, TRYING to keep people on the hook. But it is a first book, and I haven't read her others to compare.

Loved that a deeply Southern-bred girl took home an Afr-Amer boyfriend. It wasn't treated in the typical way, and the conversations could have gone SO differently had she brought him home earlier in the relationship. It's also a powerful blessing to have a woman like her aunt in her corner when her mom was the way she was.