County Lines

Setting out to write an “entertaining collection of tales” about his childhood home in Fannin County, Texas, journalist Mackie Morris has created what one reviewer calls “a nostalgic memoir” in which “Morris has cleared out a field all to himself.” Morris connects historical figures such as Davy Crockett, James Fannin, Sam Rayburn, and James Bonham with stories from his childhood involving “a talented but tortured evangelist,” a blind cotton inspector, shoplifted prophylactics, “pellet football,” and a host of other colorful characters and events.

County Lines: An Americana Anthology reveals “how the lines that connect Fannin County folks to their history also connect them to each other.” A skilled storyteller, Morris has assembled this collection with affectionate attention to the unique people, circumstances, and facts that create the connections celebrated in this book. “Always and forever it is the people who cause a collection of data points to become a true story,” he says. “And the best stories engage our emotions, offer a surprise or two, and teach us something.”

County Lines delivers on Morris’s stated aims. His tales of adventure, humor, heroism, mischief, and determination offer readers a deeper appreciation of their own connections spanning the past and present. For readers of Texana and those who enjoy well-told stories of “small town America,” County Lines promises hours of entertainment and enrichment.