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This collection of a dozen short stories explores the experiences of growing up as a girl in rural America. Most of the stories revolve around school and friends, with a few more focused on family life. The central character remains the same throughout, while the supporting characters change according to the individual story's theme and setting. The main character is a bit of a tomboy, having spent much of her time on the farm and around her male cousins. She and her friends race bikes, develop teenage attitudes, and scoff at softer city folk. The stories include ones about school bus rides, bullying, jealousy, learning to live with siblings, and the value of hard work and good friends.
Leigh's writing is at its best when painting pictures of the gravel roads, sweat, and relationships formed in rural America, particularly during the pre-Google days. Her stories evoke a clear nostalgia for days past, resonating with those like-minded individuals who had similar experiences. In each story, she spends a couple of pages setting the scene, describing the character's actions, and then closes the scene with a "lesson learned" or epiphany moment. This formula is best used in "Slip, Slide, & Away." Grammatical mistakes detract somewhat from the narrative's flow. Additionally, the epiphany often feels forced into the story rather than emerging naturally from the experience. However, none of the stories takes more than a few minutes to read, and some readers will appreciate how easy it is to read through a single story or the entire collection as their time warrants. This will best appeal to an older audience who grew up in 1980s rural America.