“Sweet Tea and Jesus Shoes”  

by authors…Donna Ball, Sandra Chastain, Debra Dixon,

Virginia Ellis, Nancy Knight, and Deborah Smith.

                                                     Review #160

Six Southern female writers contribute to this charming and hilarious collection of original short stories that reflect life in the American South as they knew it.

The stories found in this book, are a variety of life's lessons concerning eccentric relatives, outrageous pets, and unrepentant neighbors, to name a few of the unsuspecting victims these ladies target in their good-natured writings.


One of the stories, "Sweet Tea" by Debra Dixon, is the recounting of the Southern bride-to-be's encounter with an uppity future mother-in-law and her refusal to partake in a Southern delicacy - a cool glass of  Southern sweet tea.

Another delightful story, "Jesus Shoes" by Sandra Chastain, is set during the Depression and finds a young girl fascinated with her brand-new Sunday School sandals. This fascination takes a turn when she encounters two bare-foot brothers whose life situation would gently alter the child's outlook on what was important in life.

There are sixteen stories in this collection of poignant, heartwarming and nostalgic tales. You'll laugh, you'll cry, you'll be glad you read this one!

There is a second book called, “More Sweet Tea”, that I can’t wait to read!