Raiders and Horse Thieves: Memoir of a Central Texas Baby Boomer Paperback – Illustrated, 30 Nov. 2015

This short memoir resonates on several levels for me as presently I am struggling to recount my childhood for my grandchildren about life In the 1950s before the era of television, computers, and cell phones. At first glance Ms Stewart's book seems to be an ordinary chronicle of tedious details interesting only to a small audience , but soon it is obvious that the overarching themes of abuse, deprivation, and despair are Everyman's story. We both grew up as tomboys on a small farm, the same decade, a family member with polio, and with a father who is nurture challenged. This is an understatement for emotional abuse and neglect. An emotionally absent parent often translates into children who are full of bitterness and rage. At some point in the reading it feels as if you are eavesdropping, or peeping through the keyhole, as it were, the writing is so honest. This very personal and brutal unmasking of self is quite compelling. The retelling is saved by the author's tongue-in-cheek, acerbic wit and her humorous tale of first grade and life among the turkeys and snakes makes for a fine read. These first hand accounts, if for no other reason, are important to preserve for the historical record, but these reflections also serve the greater good by allowing ourselves the privilege of being human.

As I read I would pause and remember the descriptions were not of pioneer families but a family in the 1950's in Central Texas. The setting, people, photographs and historical context fascinated me. I too am a baby boomer but a transplanted Texan. The experiences and memories of Jackie Stewart evoked a wide swath of emotion within me and for me that is what a good author does. I hope Mrs. Stewart will continue her story.

Raiders and Horse Thieves is an entertaining romp through the early childhood years of a member of a poor family in drought-stricken Central Texas. Reading it gave me the fly-on-the-wall experience of being there when the snake falls through the roof, when time passes interminably at Grandma’s, when mysterious illness strikes and devastates. Through it all the grit and grace of Mother provides the crucial antidote to Father’s increasing frustration and rage. Young Jackie Lee observes it all, and tells her stories now with candor, reflection and no small amount of laugh-out-loud conclusions. After a pet Bantam is sold for a mere fifty cents, Jackie Lee wonders “What was the world coming to when such a personable rooster went unappreciated?”Raiders and Horse Thieves was originally intended as a private family memoir, complete with family photographs and recipes. Fortunately, a prescient editor saw the universal appeal of Jackie Lee’s stories and convinced her to share them with the broader public. Enjoyable, thought-provoking and at times poignant, the book deserves as wide an audience as possible.

This beautifully written memoir details the early life of a young girl on a "dirt poor" Texas farm where she begins to learn to deal with her Scotch-Irish ancestry and the tangled lives of her many relatives. A promiscuous grandmother, an occasionally abusive father, an ill younger sister, a suicidal grandfather and a dog who loves to ride in a motorcycle are among the characters described in a loving, at times, hilarious way. Her life is held together and given meaning by her mother who guides her through school, religion, turkey poop, and affectionate pigs. This tale is enlivened by photographs of all these characters in their own times. Bravo to Jackie Lee!

This is a really great book. I'm pleased to find out that the writer has already started on a novel. I will be one of her first customers when it's finished. Reading "Raiders and Horse Thieves", I was amazed at how, one minute I would be laughing out loud and the next, I would share in the sadness of the moment. I wish it had been longer as it was very well written.