I recently made a decision that I was going to write a book. Yes, I know, how many people have said that over the years? I guess you can add me to the growing scrap pile of wannabe authors looking to get into the book writing thing but for me this is more of a personal quest and I think that the time is right to get started on this project. Recently, at my grandmother’s funeral, a highly respected local pastor came up to me afterwards and told me he wanted me to write a book about my family’s restaurant…the same restaurant I wrote an article about a few months ago detailing how much I detested working in the barbecue business….but I told him I would think about it and I did. A day or two later, a good friend who worked in the same building with me called me and told me that she wanted me to write a book and was most persistent about it too. Then I started to think more about it and it occurred to me that with my grandparents both gone now and my mother’s sister as well, that my father was the only person living who had worked for well over thirty years in the business and who knew my grandfather better than any other person except for my mother and that if I wanted to do this, I had better do this now because there is too much uncertainty in life.
My brother has worked in the business since he was twelve years old and has 28 years in now….the older of my two first cousins will have 30 next year and the younger one well over 20…and if you add to that the 4 summers I gave to the cause, there is another large bank of experience to draw on as well. On top of that, there are a lot of people in my hometown that has interesting stories, facts and personal experiences that I hope to draw from and try and weave all this into something readable and interesting. It may never get accepted and it may never get published but at least the story will be told and I will have something to leave to my son and my nephews and my cousin’s children, the descendants of our family.
In thinking about how I wanted to approach this book, it occurred to me that the facts and the events surrounding the restaurant, now in its 82nd year of operation, could probably be summarized in a few pages but to bring the place to life in the eyes of the reader would require something more. To accomplish this, the book will be based on historical fact for certain but I want to flesh it out by painting a backdrop of the world around it, specifically the town of Jackson and the surrounding county which was small, rural and simple during the early years of the story-much like every other small Georgia town during the Great Depression. Since I was nowhere near thought of in 1929 and could not possibly relate a story from a personal perspective of that period, I will have to draw from those who were around then and they are in very short supply but they have children who know the stories as well and I think I will find a rich source of material to mine and glean new information from. While I won’t consider the book a work of fiction, it will have artistic license because of being written this way so think of it as a work of fiction based on historical facts. Anyone who has ever read the books of Michael Shaara and his son Jeff will know what I am talking about. Michael wrote “The Killer Angels” about the battle of Gettysburg and wrote a very personal story about the generals and soldiers on both sides of the Civil War that was based on sound historical facts. Jeff, his son, went on to write similar books about the Civil War, the Mexican War and both World Wars. I, like many people, can absorb a lot more historical fact when there is an entertaining aspect around it and I think by doing it this way, I can present facts through a story and take the reader on a journey through a large part of the twentieth century in a small town. I imagine in much the same way, this book will take me on a journey as well.
The first chapter is mapped out already and I think if it goes well, it will make writing the subsequent chapters easier. Setting the stage is always the most difficult part-after that you get a much clearer idea of where you are going but I am preparing for many detours and maybe a few (hopefully a very few) dead ends. I do hope that it will be fun, meaningful and that I’ll learn a lot on the journey. Keep checking back because I’ll be sure to have more thoughts as this process unfolds!
The Literate Pen 
I think this is a great idea! Some of the most memorable work my business – transcription service – has done are sets of interviews for books. One I am particularly proud of was on birth mothers forced, as young women, to give up their babies of adoption and stories of some of the reunions. Amazing raw material! Think of them as oral histories and interview everyone.
Next suggestion: when you are finished, see if your local historical society/commission would like the interviews or transcripts of the interviews. I’m betting the answer will be YES! Local history at its best! My own business is 97 years old – I am the third owner – and I’ve donated some early business records to the Cambridge Historical Commission. We are one of the older businesses in Harvard Square – not a bad distinction.
The founder of my business wrote a book about her years as owner (1913-1948), but it tended to be chatty rather than informative. It’s the combination that’s exciting and I applaud your decision to set historical context for your family’s story. What famous people have visited the restaurant? I’d guess every politician ever looking for a vote has been there. How did that play out? Is it famous all over Georgia? The Southeast? Do people drive for miles? Has it been featured on any Food Channel programs?
I know how much I enjoyed your earlier blog on working there – though not enjoying it – but the descriptions about how things were prepared from scratch, keeping the smoker going 24/7 – and someone having to come in to stoke the fire even though the restaurant was closed……etc.
Yes, your earlier columns made me think a lot about your family business. That’s where all these thoughts came from. I’ll look forward to the developments, as will many others I’m sure.
Oh, yes, Mike…please do write your book. Our family is lucky to have someone like you who is willing to undertake such a project. Thank you for being such an “old soul” like David and I…we love history – especially as it relates to family and Jackson and Fresh Air BBQ.
Anyway, I have a small tidbit for you that may not do you any good. But, I have just finished reading a book that one of my patients insisted that I should read and would like. It’s called “The wild man from Sugar Creek: the political career of Eugene Talmadge”. It was surprisingly interesting to me and vividly explained the mentality of rural Georgians in the depression era as well as described the geography, politics, social ways and economic situations during that time. I think you would like it (especially the first few chapters) if for nothing but to gather a mental pix of that time. I checked the book out from the McDonough branch of the Flint River Regional Library. I can’t remember the fellow’s name that compiled the book, but he was affiliated with UGA and interviewed Gene’s sibiligs, friends, peers, enemies, etc back in the 1970s. Also there were many documented excerpts from the Atlanta Journal, books written by other folks, archives and Market Bulletin, etc. I think you might like it for historical references if nothing else. the Barcode for the book is 31162000520594. I think they can get it delivered to Jackson Branch for you, or I can pick it up on my way home, if you want it.
I have heard David say that Toots was a friend of Eugene (and Herman) Talmadge and that they used the BBQ place as a local hang-out (aka headquarters) when they ” politic-ed ” in this area.
I’m going to mention this book you are writing to my Dad, Gene Minter. He is 78 and, as you know, was born 2 doors down from Dot and Toots’ house in Jenkinsburg. He has known your family for all that time (friendship between the Minters and Woodwards goes back 6 generations now!). He still comes to the BBQ place every Sunday evening – driving from North Henry County – it’s some kind of religious sojourn I think. Maybe he has some tidbits for you. His memories may be slow to bubble to the surface, but when they do, they are usually gems !
Keep up the good work – Regena
I remember Daddy saying Herman always sat on an upturned Coke crate at the back of the pit by the firebox and he always wore red suspenders. He would pull on them when he made a speech or told a story.