Ten Tall Tales and One Truth

Ten Tall Tales and One Truth is a hilarious, heartfelt collection from Tanner County, where facts are flexible, animals are suspiciously useful, and people lie just well enough to tell the truth by accident. A drunk writes brutally honest obituaries, a preacher tries to redeem a bad boy before Sunday supper, a possum accidentally improves revival attendance, three defective animals solve a barn theft, Aunt Fanny out-cheats a cheat at poker, a slick stranger sells tomorrow in jars, and Pearl Ann charges admission to her own arguments. Through crooked humor, loud families, stubborn sinners, and small-town foolishness, Shane P. Miller builds a county full of Black folks, white folks, mixed folks, and fools in every shade the Lord allowed. Under every fabrication sits one plain truth: people are messy, funny, broken, brave, and worth telling about—especially when the truth has to sneak in wearing a false mustache.