Bootlegger's Other Daughter

Series Editor's Foreword

series editor’s foreword Established in 1997 under the umbrella of the Texas A&M University Press book publishing program, the Sam Rayburn Series on Rural Life focuses on facets of rural life in East Texas in particular and in Texas and the surrounding region in general. Subjects that may be addressed include, but are not limited to, banking, public education, literary figures, cotton, oil and gas, sports, higher education, little theater, politics, social work, history, art, and agriculture. The fourth title in this series, The Bootlegger’s Other Daughter, adds another dimension , as a memoir that relates to many of the subjects listed above. Told in a Chaucerian style of the framing tale, the manuscript was originally titled “The Rustic’s Tale: A Memoir.” In it, Mary Cimarolli adds to her recollections “dialogues” with relatives and friends about place, time, and people. Hometown Arbala, Texas, in the northeast part of the state, serves as a base from which memories begin, go back in time, and then go forward, ultimately covering the period from 1900 to 1990, although focusing on the Depression and war years. This charming tale begins with sensory perceptions from early childhood and admirable attention to the details of her surroundings, creating the mental images that allow the reader to be in that place with the teller of the tale. Names of products of the early twentieth century stir memories for those old enough to recognize them and perhaps stoke the curiosity of those who do not remember: Brogans, Prince Albert, Bull Durham, Black Draught, Burma Shave, and Vicks Salve. But Arbala is not the only setting of these memories. Time dictated changes in place for the family or certain members of the family. The necessity of supporting a family during hard times and during two world wars took family members from northeast Texas to West Texas and points in between, such as Dallas, Greenville , and Commerce. The advent of the automobile (the Model-T Ford) and the railroad played significant roles in the family’s lives and occupations. From farming and picking cotton to working on the railroad and working for Ford Motor Company, life shifted from rural to urban over the years. And moonlighting jobs such as bootlegging during the Prohibition era and breeding mules during the Great Depression brought additional income and sometimes embarrassment for the family. None of these moments of revelation and confession is told sententiously. Cimarolli’s style is engaging, at times humorous, and informative. Life on the farm taught lessons not learned in urban settings. Hog killing time, for example, taught the economy of using all the parts, the importance of timing, and the value of sharing. People shared in other ways, too. Outdoor revival meetings, a typhoid fever outbreak, and cotton stamps brought people together in mixed and varied ways. And the larger figures of politicians, the FDR years, and familial relationships are intricately woven into this tale, which sees retrospectively beyond the county line. H. V. Kaltenborn, Edward R. Morrow, William Shirer, Ernie Pyle, and Bill Mauldin made their impressions. Colloquialisms, home remedies, Yellow-dog Democrats, and racism are also fair game for analysis. And ever present is the role of women throughout this period, among which was the role of teacher. Cimarolli was wife, mother, widow, single parent, and wage earner, roles one discerns by the end of her memoir. Cimarolli, a teacher herself, offers a variety of literary allusions that enhance this remarkable story: Dreiser, Wolfe, Twain, Dickinson , and Frost are among the several mentioned. And parts of her story may remind one of the stories of others. The relationship between siblings, the Graveyard Working Day, and the outdoor revival meetings are reminiscent of Clyde Edgerton’s fiction, while the scene atthe“seating-at-the-counter-onlycafé”inSulphurSpringsbringsto mind Robert Penn Warren’s short story, “The Patented Gate and the MeanHamburger.”Whatwereceivefromthistale,then,ismorethan just one family’s story, though we clearly have that, too. Cimarolli’s graceful style, her eye for details, and her sensitivity to the larger picture create a new snapshot with multiple dimensions in the Sam Rayburn Series on Rural Life album. —james a. grimshaw, jr. General Editor F oreword xii ...