The School of Beauty and Charm

by Melanie Sumner

"This is the story of the Peppers family of Counterpoint, Georgia. Henry, a stoic businessman, vies for rule of the house with his flamboyant wife, Florida, a pertinacious Baptist and aspiring artist. Their clear mission is to protect, guide, rein in, and keep well-dressed their children - asthmatic, hormonal Roderick and hell-bent Louise, who flees the Maude Wilson College for Women to join the Arthur Reese Travelling Show.". "Louise, who tells the story, introduces the folks: "Pepperses are white, not albino or Swedish or anything like that, but regular white. We are also white on the inside. Except for my mother, Florida, who is high-strung, we never raise our voices or blow the horn of an automobile. We have no rhythm, and when we watch others dance, we tend to blush. Spicy food burns our tongues. Every other November, we vote Democrat, which, down South, used to mean the same thing as voting Republican. Florida is always careful not to cancel Henry's vote by voting for a different