Cherry shooters, slingshots, fish muddle, and chicken potpie were all a part of growing up in Southampton County, Virginia, for author James D. (Archie) Howell. In "Shady Brook and Deeper Waters," he shares the stories and life lessons learned during his childhood and youth in this rural community during and after World War II. Presenting a collection of essays previously published as newspaper columns, these stories bear the nostalgia of the time witnessed through the wide-eyed impatience of a child, told in Howell's words, with an occasional retrospective as an adult. He recalls growing peanuts on the Marle Hill farm as the youngest of seven children, trips to Fisher's Mill, his experiences at summer revivals, and his first store-bought haircut in the company of adults.
"Shady Brook and Deeper Waters" paints pictures of life in rural Virginia, vividly conveying the sights, smells, and tastes of Howell's home-stories to warm the heart and stir latent memories.