"A Slice of Life in East Texas in the 1960's"

East Texas Author "Serves" Delightful
Summer Read

 

by: Bobby McDonald

 

"What does a Dallas ophthalmologist know about East Texas?" one might ask. Well, nationally known laser surgeon, glaucoma specialist, and cataract extractor, Dr. C. Cordell Adams, who operates a solo practice in Dallas, was reared in our own Jacksonville, Texas, and draws from his childhood experiences and the strong figure of his grandmother, Leola Cox, as he brings us a "slice of life in East Texas, during the turbulent 1960's, as school desegregation was coming to an end, and the world was changing."

Adams bases his fictional character, Veola, on his grandmother and delves into the world of an East Texas household in the Black community, across the tracks, where attendance at the little Greater New Mt. Olive Missionary Baptist Church of the Living God, is mandatory, every time the doors are open, and the major career of a Black woman is domestic help in the neighboring white community.

Told through the eyes of Veola, a colorful character, who cares for the white families and truly knows more about their lives than they do, as she goes about doing their laundry, cleaning their houses, and managing the households, Adams "brings to life" a different perspective of life in a small East Texas town, during a period when many of us were attempting to find our way in a changing world.

"Good Southern Black women didn't have to master good English; they mastered good conversation!" states Veola, in the book. And, Adams uses this basis throughout his debut novel, as he characterizes the dialogue, wit and wisdom he experienced during his formative years.

 

 

Adams says that his grandmother was the inspiration for the work and that several years ago, he wrote a memoir for his extended family about "family tales." The work was so well received, that they encouraged him to continue writing and produce this fictional book, that is historically correct.

 

 

"Light bread" was the symbol of being "up-town" in the 1960's, when both white and black families had progressed from the days of making your own bread, and you were able to purchase it at the local store. Thus, Adams captures the significance in his title. "I can remember being sent to the neighborhood store to get a loaf of 'light bread' and being cautioned not to squeeze it too tight, before I got home!" relates Adams. "It was a cautionary note on 'both sides of the track' and a common occurrence regardless of the color of your skin!"

"I tried throughout the book to capture the essense of my grandmother's spirit, in Veola Cook, the protagonist," explains Adams. "And, hopefully to portray her as the strong influence on our family, in the small East Texas town of Jacksonville."

Adams book, "Light Bread" can be purchased through Sweet Tater Pie Publishing, via info@sweettaterpiepublishing.com, or by mail at Sweet Tater Pie Publishing, 3600 Gaston Avenue, LB 64, Dallas, Texas 75246.

This book is a perfect opportunity to "re-capture" a slice of life in East Texas, during your formative years, or those of your parents, and learn about the struggles of a family "coming of age" during a pivotal era of our local history! It's a great read for a summer afternoon, when it's too hot to get outside, or as you rest by the pool!

 

______