Lewis Grizzard Books In Order

Publication Order of Non-Fiction Books

Lewis Grizzard is a humorist and journalist who for a long time wrote a column for the “Atlanta Journal-Constitution.” The author was born to Lewis McDonald Grizzard, a US Army Captain and Christine Word, a school teacher.

Grizzard’s father was a very active man as he was a teacher, coach father and decorated veteran that had served in both Korea and in World War II. Grizzard was born in Fort Benning, where his father was stationed for a time.

In 1952, his parents divorced and he moved with his mother to Moreland, Georgia, where he lived for several years. Moreland would then become the setting for many of the novels that he wrote in his later career. He would become interested in writing while still very young and gravitated towards sports writing.
As a huge fan of the minor league baseball team the “Atlanta Crackers,” he usually managed to convince his mother to let him stay up late to watch the highlights and final scores of games. His uncle and aunt also fanned his interest and usually brought him the local paper where he read about the games and players.

Most people that Lewis Grizzard knew during this time were interested in Agriculture. But he did not want to pursue such a career or even be a teacher like his parents.

When he graduated from high school in 1964 he went to the University of Georgia. It was here that he started writing articles and soon after got a job with the Athens Banner-Herald where he was sports editor.

He then got a job with the Atlanta Journal in 1967 and would soon become the youngest executive sports editor at the journal aged only twenty three.
Nonetheless, while he was very successful as an editor he never felt personally fulfilled with his work. He would eventually move to the Chicago Sun-Times as sports editor but he would soon go back to working for Minter, his friend as a columnist.

Over time he realized that his readers found his southern accent and opinions appealing. He slowly backed away from sports writing and started writing about his opinions on life. Continuing to write his column, he became even more popular particularly in the South.

Lewis Grizzard’s mix of unabashed sentimentality and satirical humor made him a hit with his readers. He has become known for his political correctness, conservative stand on politics and his every day insights on life. His laid back and easy going manner made his opinions beloved or at least acceptable even to fellow southerners.

With his popularity growing even more, a friend encouraged him to compile his most popular writing into a book. In 1978, he approached “Peachtree Publishers” founder Helen Elliot with a grocery sack full of his best columns.

The columns would become the centerpiece for his first work which was published in 1979 as “Kathy Sue Loudermilk.” Grizzard would go on to publish eight more titles with the publishing house and by the time of his death, he had more than twenty titles to his name.

“Don’t Bend Over in the Garden Granny” by Lewis Grizzard is a novel about sex though it does not have the explicit language that you would expect. It is a collection of comments, jokes and musings on how sex shapes the interactions between humans as told in Lewis’ humorous and relatable style.

As a man that has had several honeymoons, he tells of how good or bad each of these were. He says that starting in their teenage years, men have to deal with raging hormones even as girls say no to them. In their forties, they try to avoid sex while their wives are now more eager to have it.

The author also discusses several ways of dealing with not getting sex when one is in need among other relationship issues. While some of the things may be dated, the stories and jokes more than make up for it. The novel is a fun read that will have its readers in stitches in parts.

Elvis is Dead and I Don’t Feel So Good Myself by Lewis Grizzard provides comments and insights into his life history against the backdrop of cultural and social conditions of the time.

He is a real time eye witness to life as it was in the United States and particularly in the southeast. The Southeast is a region that has for the longest time been more conservsative as compared to the rest of the country.

It is not difficult to understand the work but for people born long after the events, it may be hard to appreciate Grizzard’s insights into modern technology and the several predictions he makes about the future.

People that were born in the 1980s should not have any trouble understanding this work as they can grasp the author’s perspectives having lived and experienced the same things. It is a work that should not be taken too seriously if it is to be enjoyed as it has been written for entertainment rather than for anything else.

“If I Ever Go Back to Georgia” by Lewis Grizzard is nother humor fiklled book that is more autobiography than anything else. The work tells of the author’s early life in the army, the days leading up to the divorce of his parents and living in Moreland, a small town in Georgia.

It also tells of how he went to the University of Georgia and when he started working at football games writing columns for the “Athens Daily News.” He then chronicles how he graduated college and then went on to find employment covering sports for a newspaper in Atlanta.

He always had a love for newspaper publications and he decided to live in Atlanta. He also tells stories of how he was a party animal that loved southern drink and food. It was at this time that he got married and divorced for the first time. He also advanced in his career and found great success when he moved to Chicago, even though he would later come to regret the move.

In Chicago, he experienced cold weather, a bout of racism and experienced the failure of his second marriage. He would then go back to Atlanta and start writing his humor column, which would take him to the highest point of his career.

One Response to “Lewis Grizzard”

1. Brenda Mccarthy: 2 years ago

   Love his columns and books especially kThy suvloudermilk because on oagev169 of that book chaper “grief passes slowly”. I was in same class with Brad Henderson and Diane driggaesxin that chapter. American by birth Southern by grace of God. God bless Dixie 🙏

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