Confessions of a Failed Southern Lady

It really could be a master class on writing memoir. It is that stunning. You enter Florence King’s world and she keeps you there, spellbound with her discussions about “malkins”, “watery moles” and “viragos” (IYKYK) along with fascinating depictions of everyday life in Washington, DC, in the first half or so of the twentieth century——with a twist. The twist being the almost fantastical eccentricities of her Southern family.

There is one very excellent reason to read this book: It’s hilarious. Ms. King delivers her memoir of a 1950s-60s Southern childhood with searing, laugh-til-you-cry wit as she turns classic Southern tropes on their eccentric heads. Everything from the ubiquitous obsession with lineage (“Who are your people?”) to a mother’s nickname for a wayward child (“Mama Tried”) receives its due. It’s a must-read if you want to understand Southern culture or if only to make acquaintance with Ms. King’s most famous one-liner, an admission of the indelible effects of Southern training even in failed ladies: “No matter what sex I… show more.