You Ain't From Here, Are Ya?: Reflections on Southern Culture from an Outsider Paperback – July 1, 2015

I am from the south, and gave this book to a new friend who moved here form the Northeast. She found it to be very funny and enjoyed It very much .

Miriam Jones Bradley, author of the Double Cousins young people’s mystery series, was born in Castro Valley, CA, while her dad was in seminary. She grew up in Nebraska and Wyoming, went to college in Wisconsin as an adult, and landed in Rapid City, SD. Then, she married a Southerner, and after some time in south Florida, they wound up at Newberry, SC, in the "Midlands" of the state. The alternate subtitle of You Ain't From Here, Are Ya? is “Being a Year of Observations for the Newberry Observer, Newberry, South Carolina.” In these delightful 59 newspaper columns, running from June, 2010, through August, 2011, she takes a lighthearted look around after she moves from the western and upper central United States to the South. Miriam compares and contrasts what she finds with what she has known in the Midwest and West and comes up with both similarities and differences, occasional surprise, and frequent fun. Someone once told her, tongue-in-cheek, "I buy the newspaper for the obituaries and your column!" This comment shows how accepted she had become in spite of the adjustments needed by a nice Great Plains girl unexpectedly submerged in Southern Culture. Miriam's solution was to write about it, and so began a year long conversation with her readers in the Newberry (SC) Observer. In addition to dispensing common sense on a number of topics, the articles talk about the importance of church, mention that her sister’s family homeschool their children, and generally promote an old-fashioned “Americanism” that is often sadly lacking in our society today. I especially liked the following comment. “The other morning I spent over three hours pulling ragweed. You can do a lot of thinking in three hours. One thing I thought about was the similarity between pulling weeds and training children to do right in the midst of the world we live in. Like the plants, they need protection from the ‘weeds’ in this world that would like to take up all their space and choke out their ability to develop into the people they could and should be. It’s up to us to pull those ‘weeds’ and protect them until they are big enough to shade out the weeds themselves. They need the ‘mulch’ of good friends and positive influences in their lives while they are little. We hope as they grow older they will pull out their own ‘weeds’” (p. 92). Well put!

Diabetics beware of Southern Sweet Tea Pg 9. Miriam has a wonderful obsession for the stoop if you live in the city, otherwise for the "Porch" Pg 12. Her recollections of Broken Bow, Nebraska, where "BEEF" reins supreme are contrasted with "Pork in the Park" behind The 1852 New Berry Court House. Pg 13. Miriam and God Pg 17. Miriam compares her several residence locations over the past 5 decades and how they have matured her tastes. Pg 19. Her views on preserving the past and revitalizing older buildings for new uses is a great example of Urban renewal. Pg 25. Jesus Loves the little children "Red and Yellow, Black and White" They are precious in his sight; Not Columbus Day but Native American Day in South Dakota. Perhaps not exactly politically correct but "Real". Pg 29. Home Coming or Old Home Week, depends if you are Yankee or Rebel. Pg. 31 People have died fighting to earn the privilege to elect government. Have you ever lived in a country with out the right. I have. Use it or lose it. Pg. 35 It snows in S Dakota and S Carolina. Pg 57. Some people like black snakes in their gardens. Pg 85. Beef again Pg 87. Love thy neighbor as thy self. Pg 105. Blue Berries Pg 107.

This is a fun, very enjoyable and informative book. Originally written for a newspaper column, each chapter is short and easy to read. Being from the north, and recently moving to the south myself, I can relate to most everything included in the book! The author uses humor to point out some of the things she has observed; while at the same time shows appreciation for the special things that make up the southern culture.

My son loves everything Miriam writes. She can't write fast enough for him!

Highly recommend. Miriam is a great storyteller.