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Table of Contents
About The Book
‘Where I grew up, girls like me knew our place ... we understood that stepping off the prescribed path in any way meant risking it all, and probably losing.’
On the outside, Tena Clark’s childhood in rural Mississippi in the 1960s looked like a fairytale. Her father was one of the richest men in the state; her mother was a beauty. The family lived on a sprawling farm and had the only swimming pool in town. Tena was given her first car – a navy blue Camaro – at twelve.
Behind closed doors, her parents’ marriage was a swamp of alcohol, rampant infidelity and guns. Adding to the turmoil, Tena understood from a very young age that she was different from her three older sisters, all beauty queens and majorettes. She didn’t want to be a majorette – she wanted to marry one.
On Tena’s tenth birthday, her mother walked out on her father for good and Tena was left in the care of her black nanny, Virgie, who became Tena’s surrogate mother and confidante – even though she was raising nine of her own children.
It was Virgie’s acceptance and unconditional love that gave Tena the courage to stand up to her domineering father, the faith to believe in her mother’s love, and the strength to challenge the bigotry that defined her world and be her true self.
PRAISE FOR SOUTHERN DISCOMFORT
‘Tena Clark is a pioneering force of nature, and her story is as powerful, riveting and inspiring as she is.’ Maria Shriver
‘A brave, wildly engrossing memoir.’ Bill Clegg, author of Did You Ever Have a Family
‘It’s easy to see how this book has been compared to The Help. But Clark’s debut is an entirely original – and true – story.’ Kirkus Reviews
On the outside, Tena Clark’s childhood in rural Mississippi in the 1960s looked like a fairytale. Her father was one of the richest men in the state; her mother was a beauty. The family lived on a sprawling farm and had the only swimming pool in town. Tena was given her first car – a navy blue Camaro – at twelve.
Behind closed doors, her parents’ marriage was a swamp of alcohol, rampant infidelity and guns. Adding to the turmoil, Tena understood from a very young age that she was different from her three older sisters, all beauty queens and majorettes. She didn’t want to be a majorette – she wanted to marry one.
On Tena’s tenth birthday, her mother walked out on her father for good and Tena was left in the care of her black nanny, Virgie, who became Tena’s surrogate mother and confidante – even though she was raising nine of her own children.
It was Virgie’s acceptance and unconditional love that gave Tena the courage to stand up to her domineering father, the faith to believe in her mother’s love, and the strength to challenge the bigotry that defined her world and be her true self.
PRAISE FOR SOUTHERN DISCOMFORT
‘Tena Clark is a pioneering force of nature, and her story is as powerful, riveting and inspiring as she is.’ Maria Shriver
‘A brave, wildly engrossing memoir.’ Bill Clegg, author of Did You Ever Have a Family
‘It’s easy to see how this book has been compared to The Help. But Clark’s debut is an entirely original – and true – story.’ Kirkus Reviews
About The Author
Photograph by Stephanie Rocha
Tena Clark is a Grammy Award-winning songwriter, music producer, and activist. She lives in Atlanta. Southern Discomfort is her first book.
Product Details
- Publisher: Simon & Schuster Australia (October 23, 2018)
- Length: 304 pages
- ISBN13: 9781925791938
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Raves and Reviews
'Tena Clark is a pioneering force of nature, and her story is as powerful, riveting, and inspiring as she is. Do yourself a favor. Get comfortable and start reading.'
– Maria Shriver
'Tena Clark weaves her deeply personal, private struggles together with the painful, shameful struggles she witnessed in Mississippi during the Civil Rights era in her beautiful, bravely shared memoir.'
– Jill Conner Browne, author of The Sweet Potato Queens' Book of Love
Tena Clark's riveting memoir shows us that even in the midst of fear, anger, and hate ... tolerance, forgiveness, and love will rise. A triumphant journey and an inspiring read!'
– Sela Ward
'Tena Clark's memoir SOUTHERN DISCOMFORT, a true coming of age story, reads like a Tennessee Williams play. Set in the deep south where Magnolias, catfish, the Bible, guns, alcohol, racism and carnal knowledge collide, Tena's story confronts the heartbeat of America's identity crisis. A crisis of faith, family, freedom and truth. This story will make you laugh out loud, cry, and hope that one day you can stand as tall as Tena.'
– Debbie Allen
'Tena Clark’s astounding memoir engaged me so deeply that I felt the pain of a lonely child in a chaotic home, and, happily at the end, the exhilaration of her hard won freedom. A wonderful read.'
– Norman Lear
‘Here is a slice of the late-twentieth century South that goes all the way to the bone … Southern Discomfort is a dysfunctional family romance with all the trimmings, and it will also tell you a thing or two about that time and that place that you didn’t already know.’
– Madison Smartt Bell
Resources and Downloads
High Resolution Images
- Book Cover Image (jpg): Southern Discomfort eBook 9781925791938
- Author Photo (jpg): Tena Clark Photograph by Stephanie Rocha(0.1 MB)
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