In the Kingdom of Rattlesnakes

Set in the one-horse, out-of-the-way southern Oregon railroad town of Gold Hill in the 1950s, this poignant but uproarious coming-of-age memoir offers a compelling portrait of what life was like growing up without a father, without indoor plumbing, and with barely enough money coming into the household each month to buy pinto beans and a sack of potatoes. Dealing with humbling poverty, hateful relatives, and grade school bullies on a daily basis, the author's portrayal of the often implausible antics of the Mays family and their relatives and friends are sometimes heart-breaking, sometimes hilarious, but always entertaining. In the Kingdom of Rattlesnakes will keep you in stitches, or tears, or both, from cover to cover.