Summary

Even as a young child, Jamie was drawn to the party life. He pictured himself holding a drink in one hand and a cigarette in the other. He recalled the photos of his mother, Mama Jean, at her wedding. She was glamorous, a movie star to Jamie. Jamie’s father was James Earl Sr., who was called “Bubba” by his family but not in front of Mama Jean. Mama Jean had been married to a man named Len after she graduated from Louisiana State University. She was a widow at 29 when Len died in a plane crash. Mama Jean met James Earl, or Earl as he was called, at her husband’s funeral. They began dating shortly afterwards at the urging of Mamou, Mama Jean’s mother. They eventually married and three years later had Jamie.

Mama Jean and...