“Sweet coming-of-age saga meets Sex-in-the-City.“
This single phrase describes Crouch’s debut novel Girls in Trucks, in a nutshell. What starts out as a pleasant story about a young Southern debutante, full of all the appropriate adolescent angst, suddenly and surprisingly turns into a slightly tragic sitcom version of the once popular TV show. I actually liked the first part better, though the novel is really a collection of stories pieced together in the appearance of a novel. Still, this will prove to be hugely popular, especially with the twenty-something crowd, as the author effectively captures not only the charming Charleston, South Carolina dialogue and decorum, but also replays the New York City scenes with a saucy wit that leaves the reader both in laughter and in tears. Warning: it doesn’t end at all the way you would expect it to — you’ll just have to read the book to find out for yourself!
Unlike James Frey’s A Million Little Pieces, the author clearly marks this as a work of fiction. Still, I found myself studying her photograph, wondering just how much of the story she might have actually experienced herself. That’s how real it felt.
Today is a federal holiday, set aside to honor the Civil Rights leader Martin Luther King, Jr. Born in Atlanta, King was a Baptist minister that became active in the civil rights movement in the 1950s and 1960s. His eloquent speaking ability inspired millions of people and he won the Nobel Prize in 1964 for leading nonviolent civil rights demonstrations. King was assassinated in April, 1968.