WOODLAWN GIANTS offers a nostalgic collection of autobiographical coming-of-age narratives set in the 1960s and ’70s, providing the reader with a special insight into what life was like for a small boy living in what was known as the “Crossroads of America.” Robert Ross Williams’s heartfelt memoir reflects on a number of precious memories in his life as a boy growing into young adulthood, which include impersonating Bobby Knievel’s stunts on tricked-out chopper bikes, the “eye-opening” experience of growing up in a segregated town, taking part in the neighborhood Olympics, and “politely declining” the offer of “wacky tobacky” at a Lynyrd Skynyrd concert.
Family, friends, and community are at the very heart of WOODLAWN GIANTS. The title, in fact, draws from the self-appointed name given to the gang of kids who grew up together: “Daddy and Mr. Rick planted some pines […] These would grow into what I now call the Woodlawn Giants. Each tree to me symbolizes the giants and grown men that we the boys who grew up on Woodlawn became.”
The author’s voice throughout this book is clear, authentic, distinctive, and often very funny: “Other adventures on the bayou were frog gigging. Mr. Rick, Dad, and Uncle Larry would go out on a Friday night, and by the next morning, you would wake up to a bucket full of frogs, and once the legs were cooked up, they did not taste like chicken; they tasted like frogs.”
His words are interspersed with snapshots from the family photo album: extravagant ’70s bouffants, a proud boy with his tricked-out bike, little ones in cowboy costumes on their Momma’s lap. These are endearing little windows into a world that may be pleasantly recognizable to some readers, or an idyllic view into another type of childhood for others. This book is short and very sweet with an entertaining and distinctive voice, providing a fascinating insight into life during a very particular time and place.
WOODLAWN GIANTS is a good read for anyone keen to reminisce about their own childhood—or for those who like memoirs to transport them to a life unlike their own.
A nostalgic look into a happy childhood, Robert Ross Williams’s WOODLAWN GIANTS is a charming and heartfelt memoir reflecting on the life of a young boy growing up in Arkansas in the ’60s and ’70s.
~Emily Turner for IndieReader