Comments 05/31/2009
Thanks for stopping by and checking out CommentsBarbara Faulder 06/01/2009 14:48
Hi Mr. Burton, Marie Woods 06/10/2009 22:33
I want to thank Ben F Burton for giving me this opportunity to be one of the first to read his first novel. I have to say it was very very good! And I am privileged to have done so. I loved the story line and the characters. Some of them reminded me so much of a few of my loved ones. Kimberly Kime 06/12/2009 11:12
I was given the wonderful opportunity to read Southern Shade and was very impressed. Ayn Yates 06/16/2009 21:50
I am so very proud I fought many interruptions to escape into the five month slice of life with the Beechworth family, truly the thrilling days of yesteryear! 07/02/2009 07:19
MR BURTON, YOU HAVE IDENTIFIED THE "JUICE" THAT DRIVES THE SOUTHERN WEHS SPIRIT. NOW THE WORLD KNOWS WHY WE DANCE. BEST OF LUCK AND GIVE MOM A KISS FOR ME.....SEE YA IN BHAM. Mary Nell Aldridge Rector 07/25/2009 09:07
Ben, I don't recall wishing that any other book would just never end, but I wanted Southern Shade to do just that - like the long-running, weekly TV episodes we watched as kids. Who said "you can't go home" -- your book abosuletly took me there - to people and places so familiar and a wonderful time in my life. Congratulations and continued success to you and all the best to your family. Louise Cox Avery 07/28/2009 06:59
Mr. Burton: Linda Cox Berdeaux 07/28/2009 07:27
Your book really took me back to West End; felt very nostalgic, sad and happy; helped me revisit some of my own memories. Beautifully written. BUTCHBOP 07/31/2009 07:41
JUST FINISHED THE BOOK FOR THE SECOND TIME AND LIKE GOOD MEMORIES AND WINE IT JUST GETS BETTER. SOMEONE ONCE SAID,"TO PUT LIFE ON PAPER MAKES IT MORE REAL", IT DID IT FOR ME BEN, WHAT ABOUT YOU? Sue Sizemore 08/09/2009 21:50
Ben, Jody Smith 08/19/2009 05:44
Ben, Nancy Grogan 08/20/2009 16:39
Mr. Burton Margaret Kesler 08/21/2009 08:02
Dear Ben: 08/21/2009 09:14
This book is not Tolstoy's War and Peace. It is light hearted, just what I needed for relaxation to counterbalance my too-serious world of technical work. Sandra Cook 08/27/2009 14:00
I just finished your book and it was delightful! My brother, sister and I attended Elyton and West End and those were indeed the good ol' days. What fun it was to wander around all over the neighborhood, walk to the Alabama for cartoons or the MM Club, and be "safe." Enjoyed getting to know your family and hope to hear more about them in the future! Kay Forrester Barnes 08/29/2009 19:39
Cyndee Brode 09/10/2009 06:00
Thank you for the total and complete enjoyment of the time it took to read the book. As I am with most books I truly enjoy, I didn’t want it to end. I finished Pat Conroy’s, “South of Broad” about Charleston last weekend and this was even better than that. All of the experiences were so close to my own that I felt as if I were reading about my own large family. This book is certainly due a sequel. Everyone should read about that magical time of innocence and fun. You have totally captured the feel of that time in our lives. Carol Aldridge 10/01/2009 05:59
Mr. Burton, loved your book!!! It was just like going home. I grew up in Powderly in the fifties so the experiences were very real. I was married to Dale for 38 years and was told many stories about roaming West End!!! What a great period to grow up in. Hope you have a second book in the making. Mike Sapp 11/05/2009 14:58
Ben,What a great time reading about old Westend.I traveled back in time remembering my childhood in good ole Westend.I hope you do a sequel .May God bless you in all your endevours. Sharon Tarolli 11/07/2009 16:15
Dear Mr. Burton, Shelby Bishop 11/19/2009 16:37
Hi Ben, I am not a reader but once I started reading your book I started to laugh and cry at the same time. All the memories we had came back to life. Too bad things are not still the same. That time was so wonderful and we did not know it. I hope you write another book full of the good times we shared. Thanks and love, Les Tippen 12/03/2009 06:55
BEN, Lyman Peterson 04/06/2010 08:46
Mr. Burton, Nancy C. Orange 05/02/2010 16:44
Ben, June Tippen Kohls 06/28/2010 12:09
Ben, joan davis slater 07/14/2010 16:32
how funny,sad, and real this book was, loved every minute and so much looked like what entries a diary of my own would look like, including the throwing of rocks across village creek with the black kids...we had a honor system like you of just one at a time...and who did not go to Panama City if you were from BHham....hope there is a sequel Skip Rockett 07/19/2010 19:26
Ben Jim McCord 08/24/2010 05:01
'Southern Shade' takes us back to a time when things were so much simpler and gives an insight to the family dynamic,which in many cases is missing today.For those of us who grew up in the fifties this book is all too real.Mr. Burton skillfully relates that era through a child's eyes and in the process allows us to relive our personal childhood.Thanks for sharing your talent and story with us Ben. Best, Jim McCord Homewood,Al. Vicki Williamson Juliano 08/24/2010 18:12
Ben, Agee Family 09/04/2010 08:13
My family was introduced to this amazing book when our neighbor Ben(Mr. Burton) gave us a copy to read several months back. My father who is not much of a reader absolutely loved it. But the real joy came from my mother and I. Mom was raised in Ensley back in the 1950's, and almost every page in the book brought back a flood of memories from her childhood. Growing up, being a history buff myself, and loving the rich history of our city from the 30's to the 50's loved the rich detail Ben had in his book. It was also a special treat for me, only being 26 years old, being able to connect in a way with that special time my mother grew up in. Ben's book added technicolor to her childhood memories I had heard about growing up. Sandra Cork Huey 09/05/2010 09:53
SOUTHERN SHADE is going to be one of the best gifts I can give to friends and family members. After going through each chapter, slowly reading and absorbing each memory triggered by Ben Burton's warm descriptions of days gone by, I finished the book with gratitude for his bringing the past back to me. Each person who reads SOUTHERN SHADE will receive a warm feeling. Written with wholesomeness and good virtues of people in the 50s it's a welcome change from the modern 'morals' of today. Thank you Ben Burton for reliving the 'good ole days'. Mary Louise Ross Harris 10/17/2010 17:16
Ben, Bill Livingston 02/20/2011 15:30
Great read Ben! Every page brought back a memory of a place or person that I had not thought of in years.My sisters knew your sisters and I will certainly share your book with them. My roaming grounds stretched, from Elyton School to the High School- a small insignificant part of the world- except for those of us who grew up there. I hope all of your West End friends buy your book, they will not be disappointed. Slugger Vicki Jinks McGowen 03/03/2011 05:18
Ben, 05/25/2011 06:01
Can I down load this on my Ipad? I am connected to Barnes and Noble Betty Elliott Bridgmon 06/24/2011 09:18
Ben, David Orr 07/15/2011 04:41
Ben 08/03/2011 18:40
Southern Shade is a great book. Ben Burton is a talented author with the gift of bringing the past back to life. So many times while reading the book I would say, "I remember that"! The walk down memory lane rekindled a lot of my memories of growing up in a loving family. I realized while reading the book what a great place the south is to raise a family. It was even better during the Southern Shade era of the 50's. I can't wait to share the book as gifts to my family. Thanks Ben for sharing and taking the time and energy to put all of the stories in a book. It will be a good movie one day! Joyce Cruce Mosley 08/12/2011 13:04
Hi Ben, Wanted you to know that I received my book. I have truley enjoyed reading about the fifties in West End. I graduated in 1955 and still remember Dr. Hobbs drug store and the wonderful orange aid they made with fresh oranges. I lived near his drug store and my grandmother lived near the high school so I was all over West End. It is great having this record because things have changed so much in recent years. Everytime that I return to Alabama and Birmingham it seems as though more memories have gone the way of questionable progress. Thanks for preserving memories for us. 11/17/2011 09:15
Southern Shade is a "must read" for those people who grew up in the 50's in the western section of Birmingham. It was like going back in time and reliving some of those days as I read the pages that mentioned places and things I had long forgotten. Thanks for the memories. Debbie Massey 04/27/2012 13:39
Simply put, a book that will touch on every emotion, as you are reminded of a time that was full of love for each other, where family stuck together and helped each other at every turn. Growing up on the western side of town, I recall many of the places mentioned and recall the way things used to be. Children who were respectful of their parents and parents who were devoted to their children, street vendors, soda fountains where kids hung out,egg men and milk men --a much simpler and honest time. Ben, you really captured a good bit of my own childhood in this book. I can't thank you enough for writing a book that just made my heart swell with love and appreciation for times gone by. Thank you!!! David Brand 05/11/2012 10:31
Southern Shade is a nostalgic look at the sights and sounds we grew up with as kids. Having grown up in the same area of town, I can readily identify with the people and places of my childhood. Thanks Ben, for the many terrific memories. Leave a Reply |
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