Mama Makes Up Her Mind

In this New York Times bestseller, a beloved radio commentator from NPR's All Things Considered shares stories of her family and Southern Georgia roots.

“A writer with a true voice, with a sense of her history, her place, and her people.” —San Francisco Chronicle

Welcome to the unique world of Bailey White. Her aunt Belle may take you to see her bellowing pet alligator. Her uncle Jimbuddy may appall you with his knack for losing pieces of himself. Most of all, you may succumb utterly to the charms of Bailey's mama, who will take you to a juke joint so raunchy it scared Ernest Hemingway or tuck you into her antique guest bed that has the disconcerting habit of folding up on people while they sleep.

White's indelible vignettes of Southern eccentricity have entranced millions who have heard her read them on NPR. Mama Makes Up Her Mind is as sweetly intoxicating as a mint julep and as invigorating as a walk in White's own overgrown garden.

“Bailey White's sketches evoke a sort of real-life Lake Wobegon.” —New York Times