Possum Footprints, A Bit of Dust, And Sand by Frances Darnell Whited

Possum Footprints, a Bit of Dust, and Sand is a collection of short stories about people, communities, landmarks, and traditions along dusty country roads in Blount County, Alabama. The author uses old family pictures, letters, genealogy, newspaper clippings, oral histories, and cell phone photographs to tell about rural life. It is a journey including families, old dogs, and local residents. With drives around the county she searches for historic cemeteries, buildings, roads, stories, and the people who knew them. This is the second book by the author. The first, Footprints in the Dust, focused on four families of early Blount County, their stories, and historic Old Tuscaloosa Road.

With the new book, she travels from community to community to find rural life and traditions. Many of the stories ramble at times, but reflect a southern way of telling a tale. It provides a look at simpler times and strong customs which unite families and communities. The reader will follow possum footprints, taste a bit of dust, find lost cemeteries, and think of old farm life. They might even talk about baked possum served to a president. Taken as a whole, this book is a welcome adventure and a good addition to the reader’s bookshelf. Yes, it may influence the reader to search for dusty roads, find old family pictures, and write their history for the generations that follow!