I am one of you forever (1985)

I AM ONE OF YOU FOREVER is a collection of vignettes narrated by Jess, the son of a farmer living in the North Carolina mountains during World War II. The theme for these stories is family; they mostly concern visits by a series of strange aunts and uncles, but they are also about Jess’ closeness with his immediate family, particularly his father and his adoptive brother. The stories are written in a folkloric style, and many take on the aspect of a fairy tale, as Jess describes the amazing, impossible things he witnesses in the course of his everyday life. While I didn’t connect to this collection as strongly as I did to its companion volume, FAREWELL, I’M BOUND TO LEAVE YOU, I always enjoy Fred Chappell’s poetic voice and his quietly charming style. ( )

Chappell's protagonist, Jess, the son of a North Carolina farmer living in the mountains during World War II tells the stories of a boy growing up in a rural setting. The stories are populated by a collections of aunts and uncles whose visits read like fables of old. The stories must be read with a light heart because if taken too seriously, the book loses its charm. The work while charming is cast under a pall of subtle sadness. The reader's state of mind at the time of reading will influence how it is received. ( )

I am one of you forever by Fred Chappell was a decent book. This novel at times was very comical and every character was described very well. I didn't really like how Uncle Luden was being threatened and how Johnson left for a few pages of the book. All together I did like how the book had most of the family together the whole way through the book. ( )

'I Am One of You Forever' is a charming little book. It's brilliance lays subtly obscured by it's quiet, unassuming, rural nature. Unfortunately, it was a bit too obscured for me to fully appreciate. Perhaps a cloud passed over the sun during the two days that I read the novel, and the tiny shimmer that should have emitted from the page was dampened. Had I imagined it? Was it real? In order to answer these questions, I'd have to read it again, and there are so many worthy books waiting patiently in my reading list. Perhaps I will find it more meaningful as an octagenarian.

This is a set of stories which are mostly driven by a series of aunts and uncles who impose themselves on the protagonists family as he is growing up. The tone is humble and simple. The action takes place mostly on the property of poor farmers in North Carolina in the forties. One uncle sleeps in a coffin and looks like death. Another seems to be the human embodiment of Pan himself, via California. There is sadness, and a deep, almost undefinable soulfulness to the work.

In a way, 'I Am One of You Forever' is a book about humanity. The text of the novel vibrates with humanity. ( )

I had to read this my freshman year in college. It was neat that it took place in my home state, and it was a good story, but it's so short, I was left wanting more. ( )