 |
DuBois Miller writes of his life from age 5 to 15 in Lynchburg,
Virginia. It is a comical, yet thought-provoking, coming of age
story in the segregated South.
Praise for Ten on Tin:
DuBois Miller has added a valuable chapter in the social history
of Lynchburg, recounting his childhood and the lives of his family
and neighbors during the last years of segregation. His book is
eloquently written and contains a number of maps and photographs.
Douglas K. Harvey
Museum Director
Lynchburg Museum System
Excerpt:
When I was ten years old, I got hooked
on smoking. Not just cigarettes, but anything that could make ashes
and spew forth carbon. It seems that I blame Mitchell McCoy for all
my vices, and since I'm on a roll, I'll also give him some of the
credit for this one.
In the fall of 1954, when the weeds and plants had dried out, I met
Mitchell and Junie near the billboard bordering Junie's yard. They
had harvested some dried twigs with hollow piths, which they lit.
When a red ash formed, they put the twigs to their mouths, inhaled,
and blew out smoke.
The closest I had ever come to smoking involved blowing the dust off
candy cigarettes and the powder from the fake ones we bought at
Hayslett's store. Without hesitation, I fired up a twig and puffed.
Mitchell showed me the art of regular and French inhaling. I was
officially cool...
One other thing Mitchell showed me was how to grasp a lit cigarette
in the fold of the tongue, insert it in the mouth, blow out smoke to
prove it was still lit, and then return it to the lips unaided by
hands. I had seen this maneuver done in the movies and was eager to
give it a try. Without practicing, I took a lit cigarette butt,
placed it on my tongue, and retracted the cigarette into my
mouth...where it fell. Palate and tongue blistered as I spat the now
soggy, half-lit cigarette from my mouth.
Excerpt from the chapter "Up in Smoke"
Copyright 2011
|
