Country Cured: Reflections from the Heart

A former columnist on the Greensboro (N.C.) News and Record and author of Bitter Blood , Bledsoe here writes of his journey back to Thomasville, the small N.C. town where he grew up. He introduces members of his clan, whose stories amuse and touch the heart. We meet a preacher cousin, who, as the collection plate is passed around, tells his flock, ``If you had it to give and didn't, then we hope you stump your toe.'' Bledsoe compels affection for his enduring grandmother, Ma-Ma, not too old to hitchhike on her errands when necessary, and her opposite, a sister who traveled the world while Ma-Ma stuck to home. These are lovely accounts of the returning author, his wife and son becoming ``country-cured'' by friendships. (Jan.)