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7/31/2017

Hanging with Pud at The Last Resort

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PictureWandering the woods near The Last Resort.
When talking about The Last Resort, it’s hard to avoid the hackneyed expression “a labor of love.” For two years I pored over the journals and letters left behind by my father, John C. Goodlett—or Pud, as everyone called him—who died in 1967. Members of the extended family had always enjoyed handing around the journal that chronicled the adventures at his Salt River camp. It included stories of typical boyish escapades as well as keen observations about the flora and fauna of the countryside around his home in central Kentucky. I had always planned to type it up, simply to preserve the family history.

​But it wasn’t until a friend suggested we publish it that I considered the possibility that a wider audience might find some pleasure in reading it. We eventually decided to include a few other things my dad had written a little later in his life and annotate the original text to provide context and insights into a time and a culture unfamiliar to many.

My friend’s introduction pulls all of these materials together into a cohesive reflection of another era. Readers may find the book a nostalgic indulgence or a snapshot of a simpler time. Some may be curious about the animal and plant life that flourished 70 years ago. Others may be charmed by the language and practices of a rural culture. On a more serious note, the book may provide a better understanding of how important events of the mid-twentieth century shaped the individuals who lived through them. Or it may simply remind us all of the importance of preserving the histories we hold in our hearts before they are lost.

We’re impatiently awaiting the publication of the book in August 2017, and we hope you will consider spending a quiet afternoon in a favorite spot along a creek or forest trail thumbing through its pages.

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1 Comment
Charley Goodlett
8/21/2017 10:02:04 am

Thank you, Sallie, for your devoted contributions.

"Readers may find the book a nostalgic indulgence or a snapshot of a simpler time."

It is far more than that. It is a reminder of how different the world was during the World War II years compared, say, to the sixties or to now. It should remind us of the value of thoughtful analysis of the experiences of people (including their inner life, as revealed by expression) described, captured, or embedded in the context of their own place and time.

"Or it may simply remind us all of the importance of preserving the histories we hold in our hearts before they are lost."

In these turbulent times with the escalation of fiery voices clamoring about "not erasing our history" on the incessant 24/7 news cycles, we should be desperate for such personal histories and reflections that inform us of the previous time. The clamoring voices are just co-opting myths and symbols about historical figures and past times to match their own narratives--propaganda as sinister as any in the 20th century--whitewashed and disconnected from the complexity and context of past eras. If one wants to learn about the Civil War era, we must read or re-read one of the annotated versions of Mary Chestnut's diary along with Grant's Personal Memoirs.

We need more narratives like "The Last Resort". First-person voices can be compelling, and we need to understand our past with their help, to avoid the poison of creating our own narratives and beliefs in response to the pinhole view of the immediate.

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    Between the debilitating effects of age and the 24-hour crush of mind-bending news, my brain is frequently in a fog. Nonetheless. I'll occasionally try to sweep aside the ashy gray matter and shed some light on what's going on at Murky Press. Perhaps together we can also gain a little insight into how we can better use words to organize and clarify the world around us.

    Cheers! 
    Sallie Showalter, Murky Press 

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