Fiction short stories predominantly humor, irony, with some history, nostalgia and poignancy. Many are in rural settings. Earthy implies close to the earth Yes, Harlan Medlam was driven by love to sleep on the bench in the elm-green dappled shadows at noon-time. But he was also given to sit up from time to time, rubbing his stomach where his dinner digested,then rubbing again at his gray-black hair as he listened to his wife of 55 years, Florence, still washing pans in the kitchen. His shiny dark eyes followed her silhouette moving beyond the window screen, and he nervously smacked his lips, grimacing and ungrimacing his farmer's nut-brown face a couple of times. The woman worried him. At dinner she'd said, "You know that bungalow house the Pattersons want torn down is 30 by 30. Whoever does that gets all the lumber for the work. You know that's thousands of board feet of lumber--probably easily $500 worth. And if we don't get it, somebody else would."     Excerpt "Let me see. I see leaves all over the place, a foot deep in lots of spots. They'll decompose. I know they will. There's too many of them for my trash bag anyway, and I really hate to carry extra stuff anyhow. There's acorns all over the place. That would be tree fruit. There's tree fruit all over the place. Bananas are tree fruit. But I don't see any banana trees. What you're really saying to me is that banana trees don't grow in Kentucky. It's out of place. That is what you're saying to me, isn't it? Banana trees don't grow in Kentucky?

Reader Reviews for "Just Folks: Earthy Tales of the Prairie Heartland"

Reviewed by Meg Leigh	10/29/2008
I truly enjoyed the little excerpts from this book and think that they're well written and capture the scene nicely. You can just sense some kind of hilarious trouble brewing over that lumber. And "bananas don't grow in Kentucky?" has a foreshadowing ring to it as well. Great writing!
Reviewed by Mr. Ed	3/15/2008
Reminiscent of Mark Twain’s marvelous style, the author has included many nostalgic, whimsical, and humorous stories in his first volume of tales from the prairie heartland. These are stories that enchant and delight and captivate; stories that introduce the reader to some very interesting characters, both human and animal, and often have an unexpected ending. And these are stories that take the reader back to a much simpler time in America – a time of small town living, family farms and businesses, country values, and those ‘good old days’ of family, friend, and neighbor that many of us truly miss today in our modern, impersonal, hustle and bustle world. Mr. Engler really knows how to spin a yarn; and if you enjoy good old fashioned storytelling, you’ll surely like this book.
Reviewed by Jean Pike	6/8/2007
Reading this collection of short stories is like embarking on a wonderful journey, and as with any journey, one never quite knows exactly where the road will lead. Enter the world of Jerry Engler, master storyteller; a world where times are simpler, and people are anything but ordinary. Glimpse into the lives of Jerry Engler's "people" and you will chuckle over Hard-Sell Harry, the con man who gets conned into saving a carful of kittens. You will ponder the wisdom of eighty-year-old Aunt Edna, and laugh out loud at the capers of Ricky and Roland. With his unique blend of charm and humor, and an incredible understanding of human nature, Jerry Engler creates characters who will steal their readers' hearts. And with a keen eye for detail, he manages to make their settings seem like places you have visited and loved. Places you will want to return to again and again. I know I will.
Reviewed by R.D. Pounds	5/25/2007
I love the 'visual' writing...one can picture Harlan and his smart wife...and 'hear' them as well. Their conversation in this brief sampling shines with wit and shows the practical way of thinking of the Mid-Westerner. It's funny, too. Much enjoyed this excerpt...thanks for posting and best of success with the book. It promises to be a treat for the TBR pile. Gina

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