Some excellent essays, but also some fillers. I am a big fan of Jame Smiley, but was disappointed with this book. ( )

I'm not sure the title is accurate; however, this short book of essays is both enchanting and serious. Smiley holds the podium effectively, with subjects as varied as an appreciation of St. Louis; the joy of growing up on a farm; abiding admiration of Charles Dickens and Anthony Trollope; Huck Finn vs Uncle Tom's Cabin; the role of mothers as both authors and subjects of literature; Willa Cather and her classic My Antonia; and the joy of reading Jessica and Nancy Mitford despite knowledge of their family history of Nazi involvement. My favorite chapter states a strong defense of Amy March as the most feminist character in Little Women, beating out the universally beloved Jo. Everyone who loves, loves, loves the Louisa May Alcott classic will be pleased to take sides!

Quotes: "There were writers then who frightened me, who liked to say, you'll never be a writer if you (fill in the blank) or if you don't (fill in the blank)."

"White Americans always think racism is a feeling, and they reject it or they embrace it. To most Americans, it seems more honorable and nicer to reject it, so they do, but they almost invariably fail to understand that how they feel means very little to Black Americans, who understand racism as a way of structuring American culture, American politics, and the American economy."

"The essence of the novel is the tension between wanting to linger in appreciation of an individual line and wanting to see what happens next." ( )