Plastic Tulips in the Winter

Book excerpt: Denice is an all-out tomboy and proud of it. She was born in the Deep South in 1950. Her claim to fame is, she can burp louder than anyone on her street. If need be, Denice knows she can whoop any boy's tail.Denice's mother, Nellie May, suffers from severe depression and struggles with every breath to raise her five children: Janice, the hippie; Pam, the beauty queen; Denice, the tomboy, and the two youngest, Lee Ann and Charlie.Charles, the father, is a con man, habitual liar, and self-proclaimed ladies' man. He makes a buck any way he can, including coffee salesman, bootlegging, running a whorehouse, and a doctor. His lifestyle continually brings chaos and heartbreak to the home and drags them to the depths when he molests one of his children. On a cold morning, Charles wakes Denice up to help him plant Plastic Tulips In The Winter. "Daddy," she asks, "Why are we planting plastic tulips in the winter?" He answered her, "Because Denice when people drive by and see our tulips, we will be the only ones that can grow tulips in the winter."Denice learns that a fatherless child grows up thinking all things are possible, but nothing is safe. She searches for the answer to the question: "Momma, are we there yet?"Get ready to laugh, but keep the Kleenex close by as you take this life-changing journey with Denice.