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Southern women are inundated with rules starting early—from always
wearing sensible shoes to never talking about death to the dying, and
certainly not relying on song lyrics for marriage therapy.
Nevertheless, Katherine Snow Smith keeps doing things like falling off
her high heels onto President Barack Obama, gaining dubious status as
the middle school “lice mom,” and finding confirmation in the lyrics of
Miranda Lambert after her twenty-four-year marriage ends. Somehow,
despite never meaning to defy Southern expectations for parenting,
marriage, work, and friendship, Smith has found herself doing just that
for over four decades. Luckily for everyone, the outcome of these
“broken rules” is this collection of refreshing stories, filled with
vulnerability, humor, and insight, sharing how she received lifelong
advice from a sixth-grade correspondence with an Oscar-winning actress,
convinced a terminally ill friend to write good-bye letters, and won the
mother of all “don’t give up” lectures by finishing a road race last
(as the pizza boxes were thrown away).
Rules for the Southern Rule Breaker will resonate with every
woman, southern or not, who has a tendency to wander down the hazy side
roads and realizes the rewards that come from listening to the pull in
one’s heart over the voice in one’s head.
