Southern Roots go deep.

And they survive drought, flood, Depression, and war. Here you will read about one Southern family’s extraordinary roots, and how they gave life, joy, and purpose to one man.

In Southern Roots, author Jimmy F. Blackmon shares memories of his family and his boyhood in the foothills of the Cumberland Mountains in Northwest Georgia.

What others are saying...

"Compelling. These are the words and emotions and guts of a man who has been there and you can feel the authenticity in every sentence."

Ben Stein - writer, actor, columnist

"This southern family's history, stretching back to 1746, flowers into the growing-up experiences of author Jimmy Blackmon. Amazingly, in the endearing, often humorous, sometimes sad, memoir of his boyhood, southerner Blackmon also unearths and shares pieces of every human life. Though I am female and my family roots are in the northern United States, I found awakened memories and bits of my own life and family history sparkling throughout. Every reader can expect wonderful surprises!"

Radine Trees Nehring - award-winning author
of the TO DIE FOR series and DEAR EARTH: A LOVE LETTER

"Jimmy Blackmon is an American warrior in the best sense of the word. He has gone a long way in this world, but he has never forgotten that the red clay of his beloved Gordon County, Georgia is where it began and where his heart remains. His is a story of good times, good people and good memories. His is a story best told by a Southerner. Blackmon tells it well."

Dick Yarbrough - author and syndicated columnist

"Just when you think all the honest writers who captured all the great regions of this country have disappeared and too much American writing these days is shallow stuff, off key, set in the land of nowhere, a writer like Jimmy Blackmon crops up in that fertile literary soil of the South—Wendell Berry, Reynolds Price, Eudora Welty, Faulkner, Harper Lee, Walker Percy and others—reminding us again of the verities and virtues of the true tale, told by a man rooted in place, who sings the South like a hymn. You will find your own voice joining in, page after page."

Norbert Blei, author of the Door County trilogy and other works

"I absolutely loved this book. The writing is so descriptive that you feel as if you have stepped into a Norman Rockwell picture. The author gives us a glimpse into his family and his ancestors that came before him. Each generation passed along stories from long ago and then added more of their own.

"Jimmy’s Pa was the story teller for his family. Jimmy could sit for hours and listen to his family’s history. Many nights would find him down in the basement where his Pa slept, sitting by the fire, and listening to all the old stories his Pa had to tell.

"Growing up in the South was heaven for Jimmy. His mom and dad were not rich people but always managed to provide for their needs. As a child he learned to hunt, fish, gig for frogs and how to have fun in ways that city kids would never know. When he was given two hound dogs he couldn’t image that life could get any better. To this reviewer Jimmy Blackmon is the epitome of a true Southern boy. I have never read a book where the author has loved where he grew up and the people in his life more than Jimmy Blackmon. It is with the author’s words I end this:

'Roots are the place where something begins, where it springs into being. Roots anchor things. They provide strength and nourishment. My roots are my ancestors. Each generation influenced the next. I am a reflection of those who came before me. My roots anchor me. Mine are Southern.' ”

Sandra Heptinstall, Whispering Winds Book Reviews

Kindle version

Apple iBooks version

To learn more about the author and to order your copy of Southern Roots, click on the book cover above.

To hear an audio recording of Jimmy reading a chapter from Southern Roots, click on the picture of Jimmy above!

(The file is approximately 8.5 MB.)

Recent news article about Jimmy and his book, SOUTHERN ROOTS

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