Stars of Alabama: A Novel by Sean of the South

Written by Sean Dietrich

Narrated by Sean Dietrich

In this heartfelt tale about enduring hope amid the suffering of the Great Depression, Sean Dietrich—also known as Sean of the South—weaves together a tale featuring a cast of characters ranging from a child preacher, a teenage healer, and two migrant workers who give everything they have for their chosen family.

When fifteen-year-old Marigold becomes pregnant during the Great Depression, she is rejected by her family and forced to fend for herself. She is arrested while trying to steal food and loses her baby in the forest, turning her whole world upside down. She’s even more distraught upon discovering she has an inexplicable power to heal, making her a sought-after local legend.

Meanwhile, middle-aged migrant workers Vern and Paul discover a violet-eyed baby abandoned in the woods and take it upon themselves to care for her. The men continue their search for work and soon pair up with a poverty-stricken widow, plus her two children, and the misfit family begins taking care of each other.

As survival brings this chosen family together, a young boy finds himself without a friend to his name as the dust storms rage across Kansas. Fourteen-year-old Coot, a child preacher, is on the run from his abusive tent-revival pastor father with thousands of stolen dollars—and the only thing he’s sure of is that Mobile, Alabama, is his destination.

In a sweeping saga with a looming second world war, these stories intertwine in surprising ways, reminding us that when the dust clears, we can still see the stars.

• Stand-alone Southern historical fiction set during the Great Depression
• Book length: approximately 98,000 words
• Includes an audio sample of Sean Dietrich’s novel The Incredible Winston Browne

• Language: English
• Publisher: Thomas Nelson
• Release date: Jul 9, 2019
• ISBN: 9780785226390

Sean Dietrich

Sean Dietrich is a columnist, podcaster, stand-up storyteller, and novelist known for his commentary on life in the American South. His work has appeared in Southern Living, Good Grit, South magazine, and other publications, and he has authored fourteen books. Follow Sean’s daily writing at seandietrich.com or @seanofthesouth on Instagram.

Reviews for Stars of Alabama

[zmagic69 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Well the author definitely has a way with words, but I think this story would have worked better as 4 short stories with they last story used to tie all the characters and events together. Just my opinion, but some of the characters Coot specifically were really hard to care about as he was not very bright ever in the book.

[robertalea-223265 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Excellent story. Wonderful characters. I did really enjoy this book. I look forward to reading more by Dietrich.

[laytonwoman3rd · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

In spite of the fact that some pretty awful things happen to a number of the protagonists in this episodic novel, it darn near qualified as a comfort read for me. Life can be hard, but there's no use taking the tragic view. Sometimes little miracles happen. A child evangelist gets "saved" from that life; a blended family including an old black man, an old white man, a seemingly abandoned baby and a destitute dying mother with two young children and not a hope in the world find life is bearable if they all stick together; a starving teenager who is part empath, part faith healer and 100% skeptic saves a few lives, and improves a few more. None of these people know each other, yet we expect that their paths will eventually cross--why else would we be following them all through their trials? We hop from one set of characters to another, with significant passage of time between sections. Boys become men, a baby girl becomes a lovely young woman...we only see parts of their journey. What may have happened to Marigold while we were working the tobacco fields with Paul, Vern and their adopted brood, we don't always know. Coot's escape from E. P. Willard's clutches is engineered by a guardian angel whose future we never learn. Yet nothing about the narrative feels fractured, or choppy. We come to know each of these people well, and love them, as it is clear the author does. There's a subtle Christianity running through the tale, without a hint of preachiness, hypocrisy or saccharine. In fact, the thread that connects the story lines together until they ultimately merge is the presence on the radio of a nationally known evangelist whose revivals draw huge crowds. It is suggested that this man, unlike the other hucksters and abusers on the circuit who claim to be offering salvation to the masses, may be acting in good faith. The novel owes a debt to Steinbeck, Fannie Flagg, and Joe David Brown, but it has its own legs. Entirely engaging.

[dianekeenoy · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

A new favorite author for me! I just love every word he writes!

[janarose1 · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

This book follows several characters throughout the south during the Great Depression. Marigold, along and pregnant, leaves her baby in the woods while she searches for food. She is arrested, spends the night and jail and is near delirious from hunger when released. When she is finally able to return to the woods, her baby is missing. Paul and Vern, migrant workers, following screams into the woods where they find a baby with violet eyes. Despite putting an ad in the local paper, no one comes forth to claim her. Coot, a child preacher in the revival circuit, runs away after stealing thousands of dollars from his father, and the leader of the revival. Years pass, Marigold discovers that she has a talent for healing. Paul and Vern pick up a family abandoned by the road. Coot falls in with a tramp and struggles with the morality of a con-artist life.I had some issues with the book. The characters seemed very stereotypical and weak. The women in particular seemed off - they were either Madonna's or Magdalene's, which is pretty frustrating. Everything came together in the end in a pretty predictable way. Overall, not a book I would re-read or recommend.

[bookscookslooks · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Stars of Alabama is not just one story, it’s really three. They all flow towards each other and meet at the end but it’s a twisty, turny journey to get there. The first story involves a young and charismatic itinerant preacher with the unfortunate name of Coot. He is part of a revival troupe that is always in the shadow of another, more well known preacher. Coot is ill treated by the leader of the group but well loved by another member with whom he ultimately escapes.The second story involves Marigold a young woman from an abusive family who gives birth in the forest and in her ignorance and confusion “loses” her baby. She spends the rest of her life trying to find her lost baby. In her travels she ends up in a brothel and befriends the ladies. She also discovers that she has a special ability.The third tale is of traveling workers just trying to stay alive during the depression. They will do any kind of work to gather enough funds to buy a pig so they can roast it and make their special barbecue sauce to sell as they move about. On one stop they find a baby in the woods and decide to adopt it. On yet another they pick up a widow and two children. Somehow they manage to survive the Dust Bowl and the worst of the Depression.This is a thinking person’s book. You can’t just breeze through it as you have to keep track of the people and where they are in the various storylines. Don’t let that scare you off of reading it though – it’s definitely worth the effort. It’s a well written, complicated and very satisfying book. The author does an excellent job of keeping the stories separate while deftly weaving them together. They are all people looking for some manner of redemption and most of all love and it’s not easy for any of them to find.The Stars of Alabama is the kind of book that will get better on a second read I suspect.

[hes7 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Sean Dietrich’s Stars of Alabama delves into the Great-Depression-era South with a cast of diverse characters, connected unexpectedly. The way in which the story surrounding these characters unfolds makes it evident that Dietrich is a skilled storyteller, bringing the facets of their experiences, personalities, and emotions to life with clarity.So, it is no fault of the author’s that I did not enjoy this character-driven novel as much as I anticipated. I think I can only blame the fact that I was not in the mood for this type of story at the time I read it. Thus, interested readers, be sure to check out Stars of Alabama—it could be just the book with which you’ll fall in love next.I received a complimentary copy of this book and the opportunity to provide an honest review. I was not required to write a positive review, and all the opinions I have expressed are my own.

[susan0316 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This beautiful, well written book is about hope during the darkest times. Even though the main characters face what seem like insurmountable problems, they are always working and hoping for a better life. They could face their problems because of the families they created out of the people they loved and who loved them -- not families by blood but families out of love.This Depression era book has three main characters and the story is told by each character. There seems to be no connection between the characters during most of the book but these stories intertwine in surprising ways and we see the real stars.The three main characters were memorable and their journeys make this a book that you don't want to miss. Even in the darkest of times, there is still hope for the future. The story is beautiful written and the three main characters touched my heart.