Notes of a Southern Son

Notes of a Southern Son is a collection of personal essays which explore the coming of age of the narrator--from childhood in Tennessee with a close-knit family to teenage and early adulthood in urban Northern Virginia. The author grapples with the loss of not only loved ones but a beloved home town while his family life disintegrates. The author also examines masculinity and changing forms of male identity as he passes from boyhood to adulthood. The first essay, "Timepiece," recalls not only the narrator's beloved grandfather and the railroad watch he passes along to his grandson as a keepsake, but also a time and place now vanished. The memoir "Dog Days" details the relationship of the narrator and his childhood dog and his family. "My Own Name" depicts the narrator's coming to terms with a name he dislikes. "Tobacco Road" is part essay and part memoir on smoking.