Light Bread

By Cordell Adams

Book Overview

Light Bread, a first novel by Cordell Adams, weaves a lovely story around the tumultuous 1960s in his creation of Veola Cook--a brave, Black earth mother of wisdom, warmth and wit. But Veola has the... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 098168050X
• ISBN13: 9780981680507
• Release Date: September 2008
• Publisher: Sweet Tater Pie Publishing
• Length: 266 Pages
• Weight: 1.10 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 6.0" x 8.9"

Customer Reviews

Captivating

At first I was apprehensive when asked to read my Ophthalmologist's "first" novel. However, "Light Bread" captured my attention from beginning to end. It was SO realistic ---- I initially thought it captured actual events of Dr. Adams' childhood. I loved all of the characters but Veola was indeed my favorite. She was God fearing, funny, NOSEY and full of good ole fashion 'wisdom and advice'. Dr. Adams did an exceptional job, and I hope and pray he brings more "Light Bread" to the table. It certainly fulfilled my hunger for an entertaining READ!

A visit home

This is a great book. It was like Cordell had met the women from my life and shared them with everyone. It was wonderful to visit with them again. I can't wait for the next installment.

Book Club Pick

Fantastic book!!!! I love novels that evoke a particular time and place. The character of Veola was well-written, and provided a window into a lost world of small-town Southern life. It made me long for some iced tea and corn bread.

Real and Entertaining

Cordell Adams has penned an engaging, reflective, honest, and funny novel--a true expression of his own wit, charm and personable chair side manner that I, like many of his other patients, appreciate from our "eye doctor." The story of Mrs. Veola Cook is one of compassion and triumph, told through a high regard for her faith, family, friends, and food. This book resonates with anyone who can appreciate the special nature of grandmothers and the fine qualities that they represent. Adams is a very visual writer, as exampled by his detailed descriptions of the characters and their situations. One example is the emphasis on Mrs. Veola's cat glasses and her visits to her eye doctor. To me, that was clever creativity and ingenuity on his part to integrate the details of his day job with his passion for writing this story. Another enjoyable aspect of this book is Adams' authentic use of African American Language (AAL). This book demonstrates the dialectic and linguistic patterns associated with African American speech and shows just how rich and important language is to African American culture. (OK....I'm married to a linguist whose academic research focus is AAL. African American English: A Linguistic Introduction) The point is that Adams keeps it real, and language is the thing that brings this book to life. While reading Light Bread, you will laugh out loud, reminisce about the good ole days, feel Mrs. Veola's joys and pains, find yourself in at least one character, and anticipate what's on the next page. Excellent novel and very well done!

Sweetness from the South

Veola is the grandmother everyone wants! This vivid creation of the 1960's South has you smelling her cornbread. Church life and food , familial relationships, and friendships, with a bit of a mystery to solve. I love the style and imagery Adams uses to take you back and experience East Texas life. I enjoyed the young characters too and the way they sought to define their relationships, always a hard thing. I look forward to more from this new author.