About the book
With a reporter's eye for the inside story and a historian's grasp of the ironies in our collective past, Greg Downs affectionately observes some of the last survivors of what Greil Marcus has called the old, weird America. Living off the map and out of sight, folks like Embee, Rudy, Peg, and Branch define themselves by where they are, not by what they eat, drink, or wear.
The man who is soon to abandon his family in \"Ain't I a King, Too?\" is mistaken for the populist autocrat of Louisiana, Huey P. Long—on the day after Long's assassination. In \"Hope Chests,\" a history teacher marries his student and takes her away from a place she hated, only to find that neither one of them can fully leave it behind. An elderly man in \"Snack Cakes\" enlists his grandson to help distribute his belongings among his many ex-wives, living and dead. In the title story, another intergenerational family tale, a young boy is caught in a feud between his mother and grandmother. The older woman uses the language of baseball to convey her view of religion and nobility to her grandson before the boy's mother takes him away, maybe forever.
Caught up in pasts both personal and epic, Downs's characters struggle to maintain their peculiar, grounded manners in an increasingly detached world.
Editions of Spit Baths
- Hardcover
- ISBN 9780820328461
- Paperback
- ISBN 9780820342184
- EBook
- ISBN 9780820342931
Read an Excerpt
With a reporter's eye for the inside story and a historian's grasp of the ironies in our collective past, Greg Downs affectionately observes some of the last survivors of what Greil Marcus has called the old, weird America. Living off the map and out of sight, folks like Embee, Rudy, Peg, and Branch define themselves by where they are, not by what they eat, drink, or wear.
The man who is soon to abandon his family in \"Ain't I a King, Too?\" is mistaken for the populist autocrat of Louisiana, Huey P. Long—on the day after Long's assassination. In \"Hope Chests,\" a history teacher marries his student and takes her away from a place she hated, only to find that neither one of them can fully leave it behind. An elderly man in \"Snack Cakes\" enlists his grandson to help distribute his belongings among his many ex-wives, living and dead. In the title story, another intergenerational family tale, a young boy is caught in a feud between his mother and grandmother. The older woman uses the language of baseball to convey her view of religion and nobility to her grandson before the boy's mother takes him away, maybe forever.
Caught up in pasts both personal and epic, Downs's characters struggle to maintain their peculiar, grounded manners in an increasingly detached world.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Spit Baths about?
With a reporter's eye for the inside story and a historian's grasp of the ironies in our collective past, Greg Downs affectionately observes some of the last survivors of what Greil Marcus has called the old, weird America. Living off the map and out of sight, folks like Embee, Rudy, Peg, and Branch define themselves by where they are, not by what they eat, drink, or wear.
The man who is soon to abandon his family in \"Ain't I a King, Too?\" is mistaken for the populist autocrat of Louisiana, Huey P. Long—on the day after Long's assassination. In \"Hope Chests,\" a history teacher marries his student and takes her away from a place she hated, only to find that neither one of them can fully leave it behind. An elderly man in \"Snack Cakes\" enlists his grandson to help distribute his belongings among his many ex-wives, living and dead. In the title story, another intergenerational family tale, a young boy is caught in a feud between his mother and grandmother. The older woman uses the language of baseball to convey her view of religion and nobility to her grandson before the boy's mother takes him away, maybe forever.
Caught up in pasts both personal and epic, Downs's characters struggle to maintain their peculiar, grounded manners in an increasingly detached world.
What core themes, tropes, or subjects are explored in Spit Baths?
Fiction > Fiction / Literature / Comics / Graphic novels: special features > Short stories
Where can I read a sample of Spit Baths?
You can read an official preview of the few pages here https://www.book2look.com/book/9780820328461
How long is Spit Baths and how many pages does it have?
Spit Baths has 192 page(s)
Is Spit Baths part of a series, and can it be read as a standalone?
Yes it is a part of series Flannery O'Connor Award for Short Fiction Ser.
Who is/are the Author/s of the book Spit Baths?
Greg Downs
What are the ISBN numbers for the physical and digital editions?
Spit Baths is available as hardcover(ISBN 9780820328461) and paperback(ISBN 9780820342184) and ebook(ISBN 9780820342931)
Where can I buy Spit Baths online or support local independent bookshops?
You can buy Spit Baths from below
Where can I buy Spit Baths?