"To me, Cross Creek is a love story. It is a story of my love for the land, and for that particular portion of the land where I have felt I belonged, which is Cross Creek. And when you love a person or a place, then their faults and peculiarities----that does not interfere with your love for them at all."
-from the trial testimony of Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings
I suppose this nonfiction would not be for just anybody but to this long-time fan and student of Marjorie Rawlings, it was fascinating! I purchased the book several months ago at a Marjorie Rawlings Society conference. I had saved it to read before I taught my next "Florida's Three Marjories" class. I knew I would learn a great deal about this trial that took place in the 1940's but I did not expect to enjoy it as much as I did. I thought it would be factual and pretty dry. Factual, it was, but definitely not dry! There was actually quite a lot of humor.
I had not noticed when I purchased the book that it was illustrated by J.T. Glisson, a multi-talented writer and artist whom I have met in person. I have read his books and three of his autographed prints hang in our home. His book, The Creek (I would call it a memoir), recounts many entertaining and downright funny stories of his growing up in North Central Florida as a neighbor of Marjorie Rawlings. His drawings in Invasion of Privacy were a wonderful surprise and made the reading even more special. My rating is 5 but I wouldn't recommend it unless you're really into Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings.
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