Truth and Fiction

<i>. In order for you all to meet the goals that you need for life you mustlive inside a ring of fire my mother said calmly. The fire will protect youfrom things that might cause you to lose focus. You are part of a chain andwhen one link gets weak it causes the whole chain to suffer.</P></I>Seamlessly blending truth with fiction these poignant vignettes offer slice oflife portraits of the kinds of people who informed and grounded EddieWestbrook's life as one of ten children born into a sharecropper family inrural Georgia in 1950. The stories pay tribute to the sorts of emotions-compassion ambition regret thrill joy hope-that unite us all.</P>Gathering people circumstances and insight from his early yearsWestbrook weaves tales of days gone by into valuable timeless lessons fortoday. You'll be moved by the passion that Auntie Mae had for Uncle Candydespite his indiscretions. You'll appreciate the sacrifices Uncle John madefor Auntie Martha. And you'll take to heart the wisdom Eddie's motherdoled out whenever she sensed her son was straying from the proper path.Westbrook's encouraging collection honors one of God's greatest gifts tomankind time with its tremendous power to heal and comfort.