This is the hilarious story of the life of a girl who brings chaos to her and laughs when she destroys it and leave it behind.
Evidence of Insanity by Carol Piner is a hilarious romp through the fast paced, full speed ahead life of little Callie, a girl born a seventh month baby because her Mama rammed her Daddy's car. Born with a slightly squashed head, she was rooting for her Mama even when in the womb. In her dedication, she thanks her Mama "for allowing her to be the crazy ass fool I am" and you quickly realize how true that statement is. On her introduction she comments, "when God decided to pop my ass into some unknowing womb, He gave me a gift. When I popped out seven months later, He had made me Mama's child. Born the child of a hilarious story teller, she honed her skills while enjoying even the worst that could happen. Never giving up and never giving in, she slammed doors behind her and laughed as she walked away. She is an incredible character and you will want to be just like her.
Excerpt
We flew to the top floor so we could see everything possible. Well, we saw everything alright. The winds were unbelievable with the howling. the trees were bending over like there were being polite, and bowing to you. Branches and limbs took flight from the trees and headed right for you. You'd forget there was a house between you and you'd duck. It gave you the shivers because it kept going on and you kept ducking and giggling. It was not like TV where you could cut it off when it got to be too much. This was on the hurricane's terms. It would let you know when you can quick ducking. Suddenly, the wind must have hit the roof of the rink and slung it at us. I mean, right at us. Whap! I ducked for the thousandth time. Pure reaction. It landed, most of it anyway, right on top of the house we were in. Sounded like the roof was caving in on us. We ran downstairs, arms swinging, hollering and adrenalined to damn death. We were scared to absolute pieces and excited enough to die right there. Wonderful stuff. Believe me, at a time like that, you don't fake anything. Buck peed in his pants and I was laughing and crying so much I was afraid I would fart right in front of Mama. Don't think I was not having an awesome time. After we realized that the root of the house we were in was not going to cave in, we ran back upstairs and gathered around the windows again. When we did, we got a sight we would have never expected. Apparently, God told Hazel to have at it. Hurricane Hazel had a hissy fit. Right in front of me.
Professional Reviews
A Pitch Perfect Telling Of A Timeless Story
Carol Piner's book, Evidence of Insanity is a full speed a head romp through the life of one diminutive Southern girl with a heart the size of Texas. Using her Mama as her muse, she dances shamelessly through all that life can throw at her. Along the way, we get glimpses of that special kind of insanity of families can provide and Carol insists we laugh OUT LOUD. It is action packed storytelling at its best, full of those "can you believe what just happened?" moments, and stories that resonate with the pathos of life's curve balls. She details and defines for us the true meaning behind what every therapist, priest or good friend mean when they when they told us our parents "did the best they could", especially our mothers. So when Carol's Mama puts her size 5 foot down with a resounding "No More" to a marriage full of adultery and abuse, we want to applaud. What happens next sends the insanity meter off the grid, but her Mama remains steadfast in her choice between bad and worse. Carol's life thus becomes a universal response to her Mama's struggle. We witness how "No More' morphs into "Hell No, Don't Even Go There!" and it becomes our struggle as well.
Carol is a natural born storyteller. Her story is our story..crazy as hell and ultimately timeless. She insists on living out loud, reminding us that there is healing in the telling. This book has all the ingredients for a bestseller.!
"A Remarkable Achievement"
Professor Emeritus of N. C. State University, Rod Cockshutt called Evidence of Insanity, "A remarkable achievement...honest and direct...funny and gut wrenching...and poignant." He told Carol, whatever she did, "not to change one word of the final 10 to fifteen pages.
"An in-your-face life story that has the reader's juices flowing from the start"
www.thepublishingguru.com
From beginning to end, the author flies through episodes of her life at breakneck speed, and never looks back. Those who can "hang with the flow" will truly appreciate the genius and genuine nature of the novel. Evidence of Insanity provides a unique spin on the peaks and valleys of one's life...
...If there is a take home message here it is that life "happens" and we must go on. this does not mean the memories are forgotten, but they are often temporarily tucked away in order to forge new ones. The only way to truly feel the frenzy of Evidence of Insanity is to read it. An ideal book for adults of all ages, this is one that provides a thrill-a-page and a can't-put-it-down-till-finished reading experience.
