The Architecture of the Arkansas Ozarks

The Architecture of the Arkansas Ozarks
By Don Harington

4 of 5 stars

I picked up this book because I liked Harington's Butterfly Weed. Like most of Harington's books, TAOTAO is set in the small town of Stay More way back in the valleys of the Ozark Mountains. Beginning with the arrival of the first settlers in what would become Stay More, brothers Jacob and Noah Ingledew, TAOTAO meanders through the history and growth of this hamlet. It is part historical fiction, part tall tale, with a stong dose of folklore, explaining why Rotary and Lions clubs generally meet on the second Tuesday of each month and why outsiders think that all Ozarkian woodspeople are dumb hillbillies. It's rich with humor, horse sense, sex, resistance to PROG RESS, and, most of all, bigeminality.

TAOTAO is the Ozarkian version of One Hundred Years of Solitude, only much more enjoyable to read. It isn't a real page turner, but quite a bit of fun. My recommendation: Read this book on your front porch with a jug of corn whisky.