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The Kudzu Queen
The Kudzu Queen | Mimi Herman
1 post | 1 read | 3 to read
"Funny, sad, and tender... Mimi Herman has written a novel that possesses a true and hard won understanding of the South." --David Sedaris, author of Happy-Go-Lucky Fifteen-year-old Mattie Lee Watson dreams of men, not boys. So when James T. Cullowee, the Kudzu King, arrives in Cooper County, North Carolina in 1941 to spread the gospel of kudzu--claiming that it will improve the soil, feed cattle at almost no cost, even cure headaches--Mattie is ready. Mr. Cullowee is determined to sell the entire county on the future of kudzu, and organizes a kudzu festival, complete with a beauty pageant. Mattie is determined to be crowned Kudzu Queen and capture the attentions of the Kudzu King. As she learns more about Cullowee, however, she discovers that he, like the kudzu he promotes, has a dark and predatory side. When she finds she is not the only one threatened, she devises a plan to bring him down. Based on historical facts, The Kudzu Queen unravels a tangle of sexuality, power, race, and kudzu through the voice of an irresistibly delightful (and mostly honest) narrator.
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Scochrane26
The Kudzu Queen | Mimi Herman
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Not many people have read this book (looks like none have on Litsy), but it‘s one I bought in 2023 at the book fair. HF, set during 1941 in North Carolina, when our government promoted growing kudzu in the South, an invasive plant. This is a coming-of-age story, with Mattie as the MC. She is fiercely loving & protective of her family & friends, stubborn, curious, and a teenager. At first, everyone is taken with the Kudzu King who comes to sell 👇

Scochrane26 (Continued) plant but he may not be a good guy. I loved most of the characters, some I hated. I really loved this story—you all should check it out. Some TWs but they‘re mostly off-page. #bookspin for April 3w
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