Listening for the Crack of Dawn (American Storytelling)
The hills and small towns of western North Carolina in the 1950s come to life in this collection of stories by master storyteller Donald Davis. He’s shared his tales everywhere—from the World’s Fair to the Smithsonian to the National Storytelling Festival—and now he invites readers into the adventures of his own childhood. His stories follow him from his earliest school days all the way to the moment he begins to understand the big changes happening in the world, including the loss of friends during the Vietnam War.
The people in his stories are unforgettable. There’s Miss Daisy—one of the six Boring sisters, all of them teachers. There’s Daff‑Knee Garlic, who runs the Sulphur Springs Big‑Screen Drive‑In Theater. And there’s Aunt Laura, who can tell exactly when the sun is about to rise just by listening for “the crack of dawn.”
Because these tales were first told out loud, they feel real and familiar, like stories shared around a kitchen table. They remind readers how important it is to care for one another, to be fair, and to treat people with respect.
