Title: Woodlawn Giants
Author: Robert Ross Williams
Publisher: Page Publishing, Inc.
ISBN: 978-1662444012
Pages: 128
Genre: Memoir / Biography
Reviewer: Garry Graham

Read Book Review

Nostalgically taking the reader on a journey through Woodlawn Giants by author Robert Ross Williams, this literary work is about the author’s experiences in Woodlawn as a child. This book explores friendship, family life, and culture during that simpler time using various anecdotes and reflections. The main focus of the book is on the author’s formative years in Woodlawn, particularly highlighting the most memorable events and relationships surrounding him. By exploring childhood pranks and misadventures as well as family gatherings and local neighborhood matters, each chapter provides insight into that lost world of yesteryears filled with fun, comradeship and lessons of life.

The memoir offers a charming and heartfelt portrayal of childhood in small-town America. Each chapter contains plenty of hilarious escapades sprinkled with anecdotal storytelling and vivid descriptions, which all come together to capture what it meant to grow up in West Memphis during those days when everything was much more accessible. Each chapter covers different aspects of childhood memories from an early age to adolescence, which gives them unity due to their chronological order.

The author’s writing style is warm, engaging, and imbued with nostalgia. His evocative descriptions bring back memories while reminiscing about things which happened back then. Throughout the narrative, the author introduces humor and charm to the story, which, for instance, is seen in Florida Ball’s anticipation, snipe hunting, and the desperate Ten Mile Bayou leap. Thus, the book is exciting and joyful reading from beginning to end.

Robert’s vibrant cast of characters, with their personalities and experiences, makes West Memphis a nostalgic world come alive. The boys’ everyday world is further underscored by Mrs. Mary Jane’s and Momma’s watchful eyes, hence equipping them with lessons of friendship and community. At the heart of the group is Big Phil Spicer, who symbolizes wisdom and comradeship in his boys’ club and offers guidance and comfort to these young men as they go through the adolescent stage. Finally, Janice Smith, known as Skillet, brings humor and diversity into the mix, thus personifying what it means to be on Woodlawn Giants: a spirited, dynamic team.

While Woodlawn Giants shares thematic similarities with other memoirs and nostalgic retrospectives, its unique setting and cast of characters set it apart as a distinctive and compelling read. The unique style used by the writer, who is very true to his voice while describing his early years in West Memphis, can, however, make these already well-documented themes appear afresh to new readers. The narrative cherishes youth and friendship while pointing out mistakes made along the way with an equal measure of sorrow, portraying a well-rounded view of childhood. This book will appeal to readers of all ages, and it has universal themes of friendship, family, and strength in times of adversity that resonate with readers who wish to reconnect with their memories from their youth.

Woodlawn Giants: A Memoir is a charming and nostalgic ode to childhood in small-town America. Its sincere narration, which comes across as a narrative voice speaking directly to the reader about personal experience, makes it fun and unforgettable reading material. Through laughter, weeping, and remembrances shared among them, he invites us all to look back into the past years as we were growing up in West Memphis.