In Due South, Brunner offers a wonderful collection of warm and wise observations and reminiscences about life, family, relationships, and Southern culture and language. From the all-purpose Southern disclaimer "Bless your heart!" (as in "Bless her heart, Kathie Lee didn't know those clothes were made by nine-year-old Honduran children") to the particular exoticism of Southern town and county names (like Eastaboga, Nitta Yuma, and Hot Coffee) to the universal fine points of family life ("Why can't diapers come with an indicator telling you what's inside?"; "Why won't my twenty-month-old daughter eat meat?"), Due South finds humor, insight, and inspiration in the details of life as it is lived day in and day out.

As satisfying, soothing, and occasionally surprising as a dish of turnip greens with a dash of pepper sauce, Due South is a book to be read and savored.