Why Dogs Chase Cars: Tales of a Beleaguered Boyhood (Shannon Ravenel Books)

The stories follow Mendal Dawes pretty much chronologically through his boyhood in Forty-Five, South Carolina, a town of “cheating, lying, and stealing business and civic leaders,” a town from which he longs to escape, and is encouraged to escape. Questionably raised by his highly eccentric father, Mendal might be the smartest person in town. “I wasn’t three years old before I’d done about everything scary outside of flying upside down in a crop duster or shaking hands with Republicans.”

His clairvoyant dad purloins or obtains all manner of junk and buries it in the back yard so Mendal can sell it later after a large increase in value. He buries fake toxic waste barrels on land behind their house to play a trick on future show more developers. But it’s not all fun and games. “My father, in an attempt to make me know that people lived differently than we did, went out of his way to find albinos, one-armed men, burn victims, waterheads, and vegetarians for me to meet.”

In a couple of stories Mendal has returned to town as a mostly functioning adult, but it doesn’t seem permanent. These stories bring back a simpler time when endemic racism, corruption, poverty and drunk drivers were the main things to worry about in the south. The humor is sharp and wicked with little diamonds sprinkled throughout. As always, George Singleton’s writing is a joy to read. show less

This is a real wait in the ditch book

Singleton is a F*ucking Genius