, Patsy Hallman’s collection of East Texas folk tales, vignettes, and memories is a delightful foray into times past.  Readers will discover courtships determined by the washing of bread bowls, hear about Sam Houston’s baptism and amorist pursuits that took place in Nacogdoches, find out what role Nacogdoches played in the Civil War South, and learn about how higher education became a central concern for the East Texas community, among a wide range of other topics. The work is not merely a nostalgic look at an era long lost, however.  It is also a collection that rings of universality, including as it does tales of tragedy, of humor and joy, of family, and of the conflicts that life makes for all and how endurance settles the argument. This book threads together a compelling and memorable feast for readers not only of the East Texas region but from the piney woods as well.