Book details

  • Genre:fiction
  • Sub-genre:Coming of Age
  • Language:English
  • Pages:200
  • eBook ISBN:9781624887703

Meaty Okra

A Tale of Southern Pathos!

By Valerie Levin

Overview

"Meaty Okra" is a tender coming-of-age story taking place in a small town in Georgia during the 1970s. Mallory Leak, a seven-year-old with a clever observation on the humor and pain of the raging grown-ups around her, witnesses her vivacious and mercurial mother, Nita Ann, endure a volatile, abusive relationship with her father, a man who would rather spend his money on booze and bird dogs than food for his family.
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Description

"Meaty Okra" is a tender coming-of-age story taking place in a small town in Georgia during the 1970s. Mallory Leak, a seven-year-old with a clever observation on the humor and pain of the raging grown-ups around her, witnesses her vivacious and mercurial mother, Nita Ann, endure a volatile, abusive relationship with her father, a man who would rather spend his money on booze and bird dogs than food for his family. Mallory bravely opens the door to the chaotic household where she grew up with her mentally ill mother, who consistently makes poor life choices, dragging her children with her. Despite her mother's faults, Mallory is proud of how her mother stands against racism, even when she had everything to lose in their small southern town. To find refuge from her toxic home life, Mallory often finds solace in reading novels. She finds herself becoming lost in stories full of love and lives vicariously through the characters in her books to escape her reality. Her escape had her facing constant ridicule by her classmates, which soon became unbearable until her seventh-grade English teacher told her that those who lead a life of abuse have a choice to make: either to love or to hate. With wisdom from her teacher, Mallory learns to finally accept herself, believing she is someone special and can rise to become anything.
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About The Author

Valerie Levin was born and raised in a small town between Macon and Savannah, Georgia—which is the inspiration for the fictional town, Meaty Okra, within her first novel. At the age of seventeen, she moved to Atlanta and worked her way through college waiting tables and working as an errand runner for a group of real estate agents in Buckhead, the "finger bowl" district of Atlanta. She worked her way up in Atlanta real estate, creating a successful career that lasted over 25 years. Now, she is a highly sought-after sales trainer and writes prospective scripts for real estate sales agents. Additionally, she is a recruiter for one of Atlanta's top and nationally recognized real estate companies. Besides real estate, horses are one of her greater passions, and she currently trains in the discipline of dressage. She and her horse, Maserati, are consistently placing with impressive scores in both recognized and schooling shows. Valeria takes great pleasure in taking thoroughbreds off the track and giving them a second career. Off the track and outside of the real estate world, Valeria is working on a sequel to "Meaty Okra" titled "Not for Everyday Use." In addition, she has started a novel based on her experiences working as a real estate agent in Atlanta called "Earnest Money." Currently, Valerie lives in Atlanta, Georgia, with her husband and daughter.
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