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Paperback The Stump's on Fire and I'm Naked Book

ISBN: 0974216186

ISBN13: 9780974216188

The Stump's on Fire and I'm Naked

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Format: Paperback

Condition: Very Good

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Book Overview

Never before has such a powerful and touching book been written on one person's quest for emotional survival. Beginning in a hopeless environment of a sharecropper's grasp, the author takes you on a... This description may be from another edition of this product.

Customer Reviews

5 ratings

Not just another review

This book was so incredibly honest I wanted to know more about those in the story and the author. It may have happened in the south but I have heard a similar story from the child of a migrant worker out west. Oakes' use of words and conversational style added mystery and kept me reading and wondering "how could anything good come out of this...?" Each character suggests another book. Foremost is his mother who is continuously seeking her own way out of a bad situation by affairs outside the home. His father drifts aimlessly through life by moving from field to field trying to get something out of the dirt beneath his feet. It would be interesting to know the thoughts of the other siblings. Each one takes a part of both parents with them into their lives as adults. At best it makes me wonder what parts of my life were taken from family members and what parts have been planted in my children. It is not a Sunday-go-to-meeting book nor is it knee slapping funny but it gives some laughs and helps you accept your past.

Uplifting and very inspirational!

Donald Oakes has done what many others only dream of doing: overcoming a difficult past, discovering their positive qualities, and embracing a new loving present and tomorrow. In his book, Mr. Oakes takes you on an incredible journey of self discovery and healing. An absolutely uplifting and inspirational book. A "must read" for anyone struggling with their past and in search of the light at the end of the tunnel!

Nightmarish Childhood-Suicidal Years-Ultimate Peace of Mind

Childhood is that time of life when most children, through learning, experience upsets - such major events as seeing a sibling get a larger piece of dessert, not getting one's way and, of course, the occasional nightmares. As adults, though, most of us remember our childhoods as a time of innocence and exploration -- memories conveniently colored through the lens of time. As with most life experiences, however, people tend to forget both pain and unpleasantness, choosing instead to remember what was good and fun. Even the occasional memory of something not nice can cause an adult to laugh at its absurdity. But what happens to an adult if there were no good times to remember? What happens if a child grows up in such dire circumstances that each new school year brought with it unrelenting parental pressure to quit studies and work in the fields? What if each new month brought with it haunting fears -- both real and imagined - fears so bad that school, instead of home, became a sanctuary? And what if each night brought with it desperate attempts to breathe along with those special terrors that exist in a child's reality and can only be inflicted by those who are supposed to care for and nurture us? Such was the childhood of Don Oakes. In his book, The Stump's On Fire and I'm Naked, he describes a world that is unimaginable to most of us - from abject poverty and sexual abuses to the crazed fears of a mother as she, in her way, sought to keep her family safe and together while maintaining her own individuality. This book spans a lifetime. We see a young boy's determination to get an education in spite of ridicule heaped upon him because of the exploits of his family. Then we follow him through his military years as this friend of mine begins to doubt himself and his careless attitude borders on the suicidal. Finally, we see this man's marriage and the problems that begin to manifest themselves, problems easily traceable to a childhood. When the collapse comes, should it be a surprise?

Worth Reading Twice

As an avid reader of non-fiction, I found The Stumps On Fire and I'm Naked both inspiring and mesmerizing; a book written with such emotion that the reader lives right alongside Donald Oakes as he struggles through a childhood of unspeakable poverty and emotional trauma, wrapped in adult situations and dark secrets. Never losing faith that there was "something better out there" Oakes perseveres for education and eventually escapes his life of poverty as a sharecropper/moonshiner's son by joining the Air Force. On the other side of the world, Oakes realizes he carries emotional scars from his childhood as he searches for love and normalcy. While successfully `climbing the corporate ladder', supporting his family, and striving for the `American Dream', he is plagued by tormenting nightmares, anger, and illnesses; both physical and emotional. Oakes is finally forced to confront the demons of his childhood face to face in order to survive. A `must read', this poignant and inspirational autobiography is a result of years spent in therapy from which Oakes has successfully emerged. This book reads like a novel with its unforgettable characters and first-hand descriptions of life in the rural South. Vivid, explicitly written scenes denote this a book to be enjoyed by mature readers. Reviewed by Myra Johnson, author of God Feeds The Crows; A Labyrinth of Lees; Across The Miles; The Legacy of MDL Crawford; Grandma's Apron Strings; Mary's Children and contributing writer for Wetumpka Area Magazine, River Region Magazine and Lake Martin Living.

INSPIRATIONAL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

BRAVO!!!! This author is refreshing, fearless, and energizing! This is a terrific book that will inform, inspire and motivate any personality to do better personally and professionally by rising above his environment, regardless of circumstances! Oaks promotes being "proactive" rather than "reactive", in the most difficult times. This book should be read, reviewed, and referred to as a constant source of divine inspiration..............!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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