title: The Sweet Potato Queens' Book of Love: A Fallen Southern Belle's Look at Love, Life, Men, Marriage, and Being Prepared
author:  Jill Conner Browne 
description: Unlike other beauty queens, the Jackson, Miss., Sweet Potato Queens are self-crowned, rule for life (there's no "former" tag for these gals) and are real women?figure flaws and all. Originally organized in 1982, the Queens are, by their own account, "fallen Southern belles" and "female drag queens"?and as such, they are all about attitude and humor. This buoyantly funny guide to life and love is a hoot from the get-go as ringleader Browne offers queenly observations on life's most pressing issues. Some topics may seem trivial, such as tanning, making the most of big hair and delighting in "big, sturdy, serviceable, substantial Russian immigrant underwear" for pregnant women (it's so "indescribably comfy" that "you may never go back"), but they are expertly mined for laughs. Non-cooks may reconsider when reading the hilariously artery-clogging recipes in the chapter "What to Eat When Tragedy Strikes," highlighting the four main food groups (sweet, salty, fried and au gratin) and suitable for both therapeutic and recreational eating. The life-affirming final chapter reminds readers of life's many options: "Life may indeed be short, but it is, for a fact, wide." If you can't get enough of the Queens, you can visit their Web site (coming in January): www.sweetpotatoqueens.com. <BR>Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.
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  #### **Advance praise for  
  
  
  _A More Perfect Union_**
  
  
  
  
  
  ‘Amidst hunger, deprivation and the whimsical cruelties of slavery, two people
  dare to steal happiness. This graceful, assured debut novel creates an unusual
  slave narrative that starts in potato-famine Ireland and deftly weaves a
  touching American love story. The deceptively easy prose bristles with danger
  and possibility and I loved the at once thrilling and gentle pace of the
  novel. Tammye Huf is a wonderful storyteller.’
  
  
  – Marina Salandy-Brown
  
  
  ‘A riveting love story across the challenges of race and poverty… Huf’s
  delicate blend of passion and compassion is compelling, impressive and never
  sentimental.’
  
  
  – Andrea Stuart
  
  
  ‘A gripping and moving tale of romance. Tammye Huf shows meticulous care for
  details of setting and nuances of character and motive that make remarkable
  events deeply plausible.’
  
  
  – Barbara Lalla
  
  
  ‘A resonant and topical love story, intricately plotted and com