Cowbells and Ding Dongs
By Cindy Marabito
Cowbells and Ding DongsJul 26, 2023
Prologue: Ghosts in the Boneyard
Introduction to Jackson, the novel
This is the introduction to my novel, Jackson about the goings on in a hate-filled town as told by Jody Luther, a fifteen-year-old white girl.
Listen to Jackson by Lucinda Williams at the close of this episode.
Jackson on Amazon
Jackson on Goodreads
Grace
Jody breaks her mother Grace out of Rusk State Hospital for the insane Christmas night 1969.
Christmas '69
Jody deals with her dad Clyde's family while the sheriff's department looks for Grace.
Sojourn
Jody, Grace and Willie ride the Greyhound from Beaumont to Jackson.
Jackson
Jody arrives in Jackson and meets the Duprees for the first time.
Meet the Duprees
The Dupree family, Big Jim and Liz welcome Jody and her family into their new home. Jody senses trouble on the horizon.
Daisy Part I
Jody and Willie tour the city.
Daisy Part II
Jody and Willie in Jackson.
Melvin
Jody starts school and makes a new friend.
North State
Jody gets an after school job at the draft board.
Eudora
Jody and Melvin work on their Emmett Till report at the library.
Africa Part I
Grace gets into trouble at her school teacher job.
Africa Part II
The Duprees get wind of Grace's problem with the school.
The High Chaparral
Dinner with the Duprees.
Davey Starr
Jody meets a boy.
Emmett Till
Jody has dinner with Melvin and his mother Jeanine.
Midnight Cowboy
Jody sees a film that changes things for her.
Bless This House
Easter at the Duprees.
Choctaw Ridge
Jody, Grace and Willie drive to Choctaw Ridge where the Bryants and J.W. Milam lived.
Greenwood
Jody realizes her life has changed forever.
The Double Mountain
Jody faces a shocking development.
Mississippi Queen
Jody goes to a party.
Oh Susie, it is Dangerous
Jody comes face-to-face with horror and brutality.
Horses
Jody takes the reins in the family.
10-7
A massacre at Jackson State College.
A Two-Way Street
Grace, Jody and Willie attend a funeral.
Seize the Time
Jackson shuts down and the National Guard rolls in.
Ball of Confusion
A showdown between Jody and the Duprees.
To Hold a Pen
Jody looks back.