Southern Comfort: A Story of Life, Love and Loss

The name of my book is "Southern Comfort", derived from the comfort of southern living. It is a true story. I was born in the country, on a farm in Hertford, NC. As a black family, sharecropping from farm to farm among racial epithet and hard work was a triumph that we as a family overcame. The southern comfort of country living taught us how to survive under the most unethical circumstances.

In the early years, living on the farms was awesome. There was no plumbing, electricity or gas. The wood-burning stoves, kerosene lamps and out-houses were a way of life for us. There were large yards and open fields for us to roam and play. Our only means of survival was the farmlands and we worked them to the fullest.

My remembrance of those days is embedded in my soul, because the country living that our parents brought us through taught us how to survive in those days and prepared us for whatever the future would bestow. To our parents, we were ten very energetic, enthusiastic, vivacious children that needed their love, guidance and protection.

We received it all. The years were hard and rough, but as a family we worked together and persevered. Today, as adults, we have accomplished our own goals. We have managed to keep the drugs, crime and jail system out of our lives. This is why I've decided to write this book, because through all the sweat, tears, sickness and deaths, we prayed and worked together and have succeeded way beyond our own expectations.

H. Lorraine Skinner