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Reader Reviews on Alva Harris
Book Review - 5 Stars
Reviewed by Dr. Karen Hutchins Pirnot for ReadersFavorite.com
Depression era babies, take note! In "Born On A Buzzard's Stump", Alva
Harris has written a book of memoirs which seems to vacillate between a
"good ole boy" style of writing and that of a lyrical poet. His
childhood stories are ones to which the common man (meaning male) can
relate and he tells his tales in a "no holds barred" manner. There are
tales of bedbugs, snakes, racoons and frogs as well as stories of
horses, cows, bears and women. The author has about as many vocations as
he did tales of adventure, being a shrimper, working on a salmon boat,
catching critters for experimental purposes in medical facilities,
working in a cannery and eventually, becoming a college professor.
Alva's time in the Coast Guard during the Korean War seemed to have
settled him down a bit and redirected him toward a promise he made to
his father as a child. He promised he would get a good education. He
also promised to honor his uneducated father's value system and this he
accomplished despite occasional lapses in judgment which he viewed
primarily as "growing pains."
The details of the memories are splendid and they allow the reader to
feel he is accompanying the author on his various adventures. When Alva
mentions his three divorces, the reader is left wondering about what
might have been remiss in his upbringing but Alva tells his tales with
such charm and veracity that most readers will be left saluting the
author for a life well lived. Warning: there are vivid but authentic
descriptions of killing and gutting animals.