Testimonials

Tender and evocative, the world of Joseph Ball shimmers with an endless summer filled with birdsong and sweet tea memories. His voice, sweet as sorghum, escapes the page and lingers like the soft afterglow of sunset.

These mini “essays” really capture a poignant picture of life in the Deep South through the “eyes” of a young boy. Joseph Ball’s memories are beautifully written with warmth and wit.

Joseph wonderfully crafts his words to magically transport the reader into his story, where they join in hearing, seeing, feeling, smelling, and tasting all that he portrays

In his new book, “Talking with Red Bird”, Joseph Ball reminds us to pause in our daily life-quest and relish the details confronting us. His stories reflect real people and events and give us brief histories that allow us to appreciate the day-to-day world that surrounds us. As I read through the chapters and essays, I found myself pausing to reflect on my own life and what remains important to me. What more could one ask of an author? Thank you Joseph!

Joseph Ball speaks with an original voice that exudes the charms and universal lessons of southern country life. In contrast to our frenetic, technologically fraught world, these brief essays touch the heart with nostalgia for a simpler time when there were dusty dirt roads, green baby turtles, children playing in bare feet with a daily curiosity and delight in nature, mom making butternut bean chowder, dad arranging for a mysterious possum, and memorable characters such as lipsticky lips Aunt Edith and silent Uncle Jeffie. There is a philosophy of life in these essays, tempered by humor, that calms the soul. The prose has a unique rhythmic and poetic quality. Indeed, enjoyment of this book is enhanced by reading the essays aloud. This is a wonderful book that you will happily return to time and again for its beautifully written perspective on the human condition.

I have read many of Joseph Ball’s stories of life in a quieter, slower, more friendly time. I find them so lovely. There is honor here; there is caring here; there is being helpful, and sharing. There is an appreciation for the simple things of life. I always leave the reading of one of his stories with a smile on my face.