Selected for NEW BOOKS BY GREAT KY WRITERS 2013 SERIES - Carnegie Center for Literacy and Learning
Butter In The Morning
by Georgia Green Stamper
“Seldom have I read anything so rich and satisfying as Georgia Green Stamper’s delightful Butter In The Morning. It is a memoir, a history and a sociology text all in the guise of a collection of essays. These are no ordinary essays, however, they are tales from a life made extraordinary in the living and the telling.
Indeed, in these difficult times when every day seems to bring news of yet one more failure of the human condition, Georgia shares story after story reflecting the intermingled sorrow and joy that have been the legacy of her people and her place.
Through it all her outlook is one of hope, optimism, and humor - a joy from cover to cover.” Linda Scott DeRosier, author of Creeker
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Praise for Butter In The Morning
“… Butter in the Morning should also survive as it serves the ages by describing, explaining and preserving powerful truths about authentic Kentuckians… That Stamper can evoke heartfelt emotion while sidestepping the counterfeit drama of sentimentality would be reason enough for her writing to rule. But the fact that she can sift through the prosaic to capture the consequential and, thereby, show readers how even one’s most routine encounters can shape life’s meaning elevates her work from formulaic writing to art” - L. Elisabeth Beattie, Courier-Journal
“Kentucky author Georgia Green Stamper's Butter in the Morning collects a number of essays and newspaper columns, principally from NPR station broadcasts and THE OWENTON NEWS-HERALD. A collection of personal/family history, commentary on contemporary issues, and slice-of-life vignettes, Butter in the Morning transcends nostalgic "Grandmaw was great" reminiscing and instead depicts genuine, considered feeling with unflinching expression.
That's not to say that the collection lacks its lighter moments. Slice-of-life vignettes, such as "Bill and Me," where Stamper compares a local television weather forecaster's involvement in a threatened snow storm's drama to her own difficult experiences with blizzard conditions, and "The Ghosts of Christmas Past," a discussion of a distant relative/relation's rattled composition as wind howls through windows, offer good-humored commentary about our shared experiences as a community. These anecdotes and observations read like parts of a conversation where friends just shake their heads and smile.
This volume's strength lies in Stamper's depiction of those who face difficult challenges as well as her growing understanding of what those challenges have meant. "The Summer I Was Ten," for example, describes Stamper's hard-earned awareness of mortality, heightened by her learning that her attempt to bring help to her ailing mother in labor, an attempt she considered heroic at the time, turned nevertheless to misfortune. Another article, "Mother," describes how her mother's resolve in response to many setbacks and difficulties shaped Stamper's own character. "Santa" offers a brief description of compassion and understanding where a simple gesture changes a child's life in a significant way. In Stamper's collection, I did not find tragic figures or victims; I found people who endured through resilience, compassion, and responsibility.
Stamper has subtitled her collection PIECES OF A KENTUCKY LIFE, but she doesn't mean fragments. She means pieces the way a quilt would be put together, stitched, never complete, patched with newer stuff from time to time, because quilts aren't made of broken objects. They're made of well-loved, well-worn patches stitched together into a comforting whole.” -Dr. Thomas A. Holmes, Department of Literature and Language, East Tennessee University
“There's a family story about a wise frog at the heart of this collection of essays by Georgia Green Stamper. The frog falls into a metal can of cream--just half-full. The accident occurs at twilight, but the little fellow keeps paddling until morning--when he finds himself sitting, rather miraculously, on a pat (or [lily]pad) of butter. The author, essay by essay, tempts us through her rich, creamy prose to do the same--not to ever stop moving our feet, not to cut ourselves off from our capacity for hope.” - Dr. Joyce Dyer, Professor Emerita of English at Hiram College
“Geraldine Green told the story many times, the one about the two frogs in the barn who accidentally hopped into a half-full can of cream. One frog gave up and died, the other kept paddling and next morning found itself sitting safely on a floating pat of butter. Daughter Georgia listened in earnest to her mother's illustrative lesson and one day honored it by titling a book she wrote after the story.
Possessing a rare gift for storytelling and a rich assortment of subject material starting with her native Owen County, Lexington resident Georgia Green Stamper treats the reader like her next door neighbor and best friend in her collection of touching essays, Butter in the Morning.
The author's tone is nearly always light, but can be kindly biting, too. "By rights," she says, "the chigger should be our state insect"--then regales the reader with her painful blackberry patch experiences of her youth. In "Our First Vacation," Aunt Neb's lost teeth in Tennessee spelled panic for the Green family and provokes hilarity in the reader. Stamper satirizes Facebook, remembers county fairs past, swoons on grandkids, drools on the memory of Jesse Stuart, shares insecurities and brings history to life.
Perhaps her most powerful moment comes with "Christmas Eve," a memoir of her mother's arousal from "a deep sleep" to celebrate her last Noel with loved ones. Stamper's words make us cry, grin and think, but they mostly help us open our eyes to what is precious and worth embracing--our own connection to place.” - Steve Flairty, author of Kentucky Heroes
“There is a freshness and honesty to her stories that makes you laugh, smile, and even shed a a few tears. . . . Whether she’s writing about guacamole, her childhood home going up in flames, an encounter with chiggers, or getting into the wrong car on a rainy day, Georgia’s words are warm and sincere.” - Michael Embry, Blogspot
“This collection of essays is at once heartwarming and nostalgic. Georgia Green Stamper is able to capture that down-home country feeling of her childhood and life and pass it on to the reader. The section `Where I'm From' gives a snippet of country life with the stories `The Past is Never Dead' where she talks about her MawMaw and PawPaw Green, to `My Hat' where the topic is the wide-brim felt hat she wore to her Freshman Tea.
`You Might As Well Laugh Mother Always Said' is a collection of humorous essays with topics like `Rhubarb,' `Causal Dress,' and `Demi Moore Stew.' `To Everything There Is A Season' takes the reader from `The Garbage Collectors' to `Memorial Day' to `The Thanksgiving Blizzard of 1950.' But my favorite section of the book is the book titled, `Butter in the Morning.' `Mother' is a touching story of her mother and the rock-hard maple dresser. `Go Big Blue' is a Kentuckians dream talking about Big Blue Madness. And my favorite essay of the book is `A Tale of Two Autumns' when she describes the autumn of 1976, one of the most memorable autumns in my own life.
This is the perfect book to curl up with on a cold winter's day, or to take with you when you only have a few minutes to read. The short chapters make it easy reading and you can skip around from story to story because they are in no particular order. This book is good enough to enjoy every day and is one to treasure.” - Bobbi Rightmyer, Kentucky Authors Examiner
“ Butter in the Morning by Georgia Green Stamper is a treasure, one readers of all ages will love because it is a picture and catalogue of the true Americana for which people search. Search no more. This author is a gifted writer. Her stories will take readers to a time before telephones, computers, TV, and high tech gadgets when families shared anecdotes, games, and bits of gossip and philosophy with each other for entertainment.
Stamper's ability to describe events, people, places, and celebrations with flair and humor, whether it is the blizzard of 1950, when drifts were surely nearly twenty-seven feet high, or how getting the right Halloween costume can become an obsession, or reflections such as "When Your Babies Become Mothers" is outstanding. Her stories about growing up in eastern Kentucky are bright and colorful, and her essays about the wonder and chaos of loving three daughters and their extended families are memorable. Butter in the Morning will resonate with men as well as women. Stamper writes about farming, politics, Kentucky River boats, the men in her life, specifically her father, and subjects that illustrate "pieces of Kentucky life." She sees the drama of life in ordinary routines and captures the essence of place and home.
In this little book of essays, Stamper connects with readers in such a way they will identify, sympathize, cheer, and possibly shed a tear remembering similar experiences and the rich heritage upon which family values are taught and shared. None of her essays do a better job of it than "Dog Days of August," a gem of philosophy and humor. I cannot recommend this book more highly. It's the book I wish I had written. Five stars.” - Rachel S Roberts, Amazon Review
“So much of this book brought back memories of my KY youth. Though I was raised in town, rather than a tobacco farm, the Bluegrass experience is pure and clear, and the warmth is unmistakable. The individual stories are joyous, as are the characters. I recognize so much of the familial tug, as aunts, uncles, grandparents and the like are so very much a part of who we are. There is magic in their individuality that never dies. The book brings their struggles to life, losing ones house to fire or a beloved parent to such a horrible accident, yet the humor is that moves one through the pages, nearly non-stop as it happened. The Ashland memories are familiar, as that’s where I was born. This book reminds me of my first introduction to writers like Rick Bragg and Alice Walker. I too love to gaze at stars and remember when...” - Brenda Keathlely, Amazon Review
“This book is an excellent look at life with a bit of nostalgia, a lot of hope for the future, with time for some tears and laughs.” - Carroll L Wood, Amazon Review