Homesick: A Memoir

By Sela Ward

Book Overview

The vibrant and beloved star of Once and Again and Sisters offers a story about her journey home to recapture the magic of youth in the deep South for her children and to make peace with the death of her mother. "This is the story of a girl who grew up in a gentle town in the Deep South, cradled by family and friends, worshiping Bear Bryant on Saturday night and Jesus Christ on Sunday morning..." At a time when much of America is yearning to recapture the spirit and feelings of a more innocent era, comes this extraordinary memoir from one of our most beloved actresses: a story of reconnecting with the most important things in life. Millions of TV and film viewers know Sela Ward as the Emmy-winning star of the series Sisters and Once & Again. But before she became a successful actress, Sela was first and foremost a small-town girl, the daughter of a family that lived for generations in a Mississippi homestead they called "Homeward." It was there, within a tightly knit community of neighbors and kin, that Sela learned ways that would remain with her through life-humble virtues, like generosity, selflessness, and respect, that are "forged in the hearth of a loving home." Now she has woven together nostalgic reminiscences, stories from throughout her life and career, and lessons on drawing strength and wisdom from a simpler place and time, to give us Homesick: a very special book on the challenge of raising a family, maintaining perspective, and carving away time for happiness amid the challenges of modern life.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0060394366
• ISBN13: 9780060394363
• Release Date: October 2002
• Publisher: HarperEntertainment
• Length: 272 Pages
• Weight: 1.15 lbs.
• Dimensions: 8.0" x 1.0" x 6.0"

Customer Reviews

A Lady With Inbred Southern Charm

The memoir of a beautiful woman who went to NY City and thenHollywood but longed to go home again.A person can never really go home again, as another Southerner,Thomas Wolfe wrote, but Sela Ward tried very hard to duplicateher upbringing,when she married and had two chidren. This is a book of a woman who developed in Meridian,Miss-issippi;during the 1960's and 1970's.Her family isn't perfectbut they are good people.A younger Sela neede more in her life to express her ambitions so she moved away.What she also found was she also neededstability and family. Unable to have a realistic family life in Hollywood-sheand her husband Howard Sherman set about building a new family home back in Meridan, Mississippi.Here they are surrounded by Sela's close relatives and their children areable to lead a more rustic life.As often as possible theyreside in comfort and live here. This is unlike any Hollywood story.People respect eachother and help one another. It is refreshing to read about a Hollywood star, who is just like other ordinary folks.Her lovely Southern charm comes through in the telling of her Family's customs.

"Homesick," a wonderful read....

I have admired and respected Sela's talent and beauty in both Sisters and Once & Again. I have a special place in my heart for the "era" she writes about in both Mississippi and Alabama.Last week, I bought "Homesick," and I want to give Sela a superb review. She wrote much of what is in my own heart. I am from the south and Sela and I were in Tuscaloosa at the same time. This is why I feel such regards for her book. The part about Alabama and Bear Bryant makes me so proud of my heritage. I have spent many hours thinking about my family, friends and maybe someday a permanent return to the south. Her excerpt made me stop and think... Why I left in the first place and if moving back is really feasible. Sela states that some times your dreams are too big to stay in the same place. Sometimes dreams are too big for Tuscaloosa or a small town in North Carolina. I took her advice to heart and reflected on the reasons I left in the first place. Since I left the Druid City, I have lived in Utah and Colorado. My heart may be in the south but my husband and I now live in very small village in Vermont. Sometimes, we just have to get out, go on an adventure and follow our dreams. As I watch Bama play football on TV, I remember those days, getting all dressed up in my Sunday best, walking down 10th Street, now Bryant Drive, pass The Corner Drugstore as the Million Dollar Band played, "Yea, Alabama". Definitely, if you have football, sweet tea, grits, catfish, hush puppies, The Waysider and Dreamland on your mind you will return someday. Thanks you, Sela for helping me tap into all those hidden memories. !!!!!!! Roll Tide Roll !!!!!!!

Touching Story

Sela Ward's Homesick is such a warm, touching and engaging book, that I could not put it down. It shows a very personal side of a very public person that makes you want to see her continue her success. While a big time celebrity, Sela seems to be a real person, interested in helping other people and in using her celebrity status to do good works. She has obviously stayed in touch with her hometown and her past and wants to make sure that she passes on her Southern Heritage to her children. Causes you to stop and think about what is really important in life. A must read!

Sela touches the world's heart with her words

In this book, put down your palm pilot and enter the world of the south, fishing with a pole, good old southern food, and loving family values. Using her own life experiences Sela teaches you that no matter what happens in your life you can always come home and find comfort in your roots. Her heartwarming tales will cause huge laughs and many tears. You may even find yourself picking up the phone and calling Mom and Dad once you finish, I know that I did. Sela may be an inspiration to many as an amazing actress, but she is also a person who has a real life, and she opens up that life with a warm heart and a hug. Her thoughtful words are ones that I know will touch your soul. So snuggle up with a good blanket and a cup of tea in front of the fire and enjoy.

Charming and Heart Touching

Sela Ward has delivered what is certain to be a classic for any southern woman who has ever left the roots of her raising to plant herself in distant soil, only to discover that a southerner can never emotionally detach from the people and the land that she calls "home." The South and her upbringing will continue to sustain her existence and renew her spirit. From the perfectly chosen title of the book to the prose perfect opening chapter, this book is nothing short of charming, gracious, earnest, heartfelt and lyrically written. Writers always carry with them a heartful of lines they wish that they had created and for me, one of those lines will be from the first page of "Homesick" --- "...a gentle town in the Deep South cradled by family and friends, worshiping Bear Bryant on Saturday night and Jesus Christ on Sunday morning..." That line, of course, speaks to the two great religions of the South, one, of course, being college football. Even more than the words of this book, I love the heart of it. Ms. Ward writes longingly and appreciatively of a gentle culture where graciousness and kindness are the cornerstones of a neighborly existence, a culture where casseroles and sweet tea reign supreme. This is a memoir of the most moving kind, the story of a young girl who followed her dreams but left a big piece of her heart behind in the land of her upbringing. It is uplifting to see a Hollywood star who never "got above her raising" and remains loyal to those and to that which she loves. Her mama, who passed away shortly before the book's release, would surely be proud of the woman she raised and the words she has written.I admit that we share the same publishing company so I was fortunate enough to snag an early copy but I am so touched by this beautiful book that it will be THE book that I buy for Christmas gifts --- but only for the special ones who can really understand what a special gift it is.