Mike Morris’s One-legged Uncle Jesse is a multigenerational family saga about an extended family descended from a Creek Indian who married a white man. Morris relates a sequence of events impacting various members of the family in different ways and shaping different personalities. There is a recurrent theme of questioning the white man’s values and lifestyles versus those of the Indians who once inhabited the Creek territory as the Stewart grandchildren of Indian Ma grow up strongly influenced by their Methodist minister father, who has a dark past. The story follows the Stewart family from one church posting to another. It eventually follows adult children across the country, giving glimpses of the geography and climates of various parts of the United States, yet focusing mainly on differing lifestyles and family dynamics and what influences personality and behavior.
 
Mike Morris takes an unusual approach to novel writing. One-legged Uncle Jesse evidences that a novelist who breaks all the rules of writing can still deliver an entertaining read. Instead of relating events that lead up to a critical dilemma or catastrophe, Morris relates a series of events in a “this happened then that happened’’ style. And yet he keeps readers engaged, as he skillfully addresses themes of the complexity of truth and its pursuit and the intricacy of family dynamics as he sheds light on the differing social conditions and lifestyles across several decades. Despite his unconventional approach to novel writing, though, Mike Morris succeeds in offering readers an interesting and entertaining read and one that raises valid questions about cultural differences and family dynamics about the meaning and value of truth in varying situations. A thought-provoking novel and an interesting exploration of changing social conditions from the very early 1900s to the 60s and 70s.

One-legged Uncle Jesse by Mike Morris is a historical novel infused with cultural and religious commentary. This story follows the lives of women through many generations in a family. Ma Sargent has an uncanny sense of humor and wisdom from her ancestors; she challenges the white man's religion. Her daughter Kate inherits this unique trait from her, even if she travels through Alabama singing gospel songs to support her father's ministry. However, when Reverend James Washington Stewart's actions from 1916 resurface, the unity of the family is threatened. The Creek Indian mother, Ecke, is portrayed as a strong and resilient figure who passes down her cultural traditions to her daughters. The Sargent sisters, including Arvis, struggle to maintain their cultural heritage in the face of assimilation and cultural suppression.

One-legged Uncle Jesse begins with a prologue that sets the tone for the rest of the book, which describes the Creek Nation's history and its people's struggles, including their forced removal from their homeland. Readers are introduced to Arvis, a 98-year-old woman receiving an early birthday gift from her son and daughter-in-law. The gift is a book of watercolor paintings by her cousin, which brings back memories of her childhood and her family's history. As Arvis explores the book, she reminisces about her family's history, including stories about her Uncle Jesse, who lost his leg in the war. Readers will be intrigued by Jesse's character and will want to know more about him. The narrative is filled with intriguing characters and a fascinating family history. The setting comes alive in this narrative with strong cultural commentaries and historical elements. Mike Morris' novel is a nostalgic exploration of one woman's life and connection to her family's past. It touches on grief, loss, identity, and the power of memory and storytelling to shape our understanding of ourselves and our place in the world.

One-legged Uncle Jesse by Mike Morris is a gentle, sweet journey across multiple generations of the Sargents and the Stewarts. Set in the late nineteenth and twentieth centuries, the story chronicles the lives and descendants of a full-blooded Creek Indian woman, known to the family as just Ma, who crossed the cultural and racial line to marry a white man, a mill owner called James Buchanan Sargent in Millerville, Clay County, Alabama. One thing was for sure about Ma, you were never left in any doubt about what she thought of something. Two things she couldn’t abide were white men’s lies about her beloved Creek Indian land and their religion, which they continually used to justify their actions against Native Americans. As generations of Sargents and Stewarts gather in 2022, at the rest home of Arvis, Ma's granddaughter, to celebrate Arvis’ 98th birthday, a question about whether Uncle Jesse had one leg or two begins this multi-generational retrospective.

One-legged Uncle Jesse is a wonderful, heartwarming tale that is more than just a retrospective chronicling one family’s progression through the latter part of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. It is a social commentary on life in the Deep South, its religiosity, inherent racism, and binding familial relationships. A story that encompasses the dawn of a new century and the hope inherent in that but runs through two wars and a devastating depression serves to underline the courage, resilience, and sheer determination ordinary folk had to display to survive and keep their sanity in this harsh environment. Author Mike Morris has created some endearing characters that I know readers will take to instantly. I particularly appreciated Ma with her dry wit, her deep sarcasm, and her unwillingness to let any religious statement go unchallenged. It was clear that humor was a critical part of keeping people grounded and also that women were, as so often is the case, the true backbone of both the family and the community. It is ironic, given Ma’s vehement disgust at the white man’s religion that the church and gospel music should play such an integral part in keeping this family together. The author’s beautifully descriptive style paints a true picture of how hard this life was for the Stewarts and the Sargents and equally how they managed to see their way through the enormous difficulties of their daily lives. This is a relaxing and satisfying read that I can highly recommend.

One-legged Uncle Jesse is a work of fiction in the historical fiction, family saga, and interpersonal drama genres. Penned by author Mike Morris, this epic work chronicles the multigenerational journey of the resilient Sargent women, led by the indomitable Ma Sargent, as they navigate life's challenges with humor and strength, challenging societal norms and the conventions of religion in Creek Indian territory. As the narrative unfolds, the clash between irreverence and devout belief emerges as a central theme, culminating in a tragedy that reverberates through the generations. The author has crafted a poignant and immersive novel that delves deep into the intricacies of family dynamics and the pursuit of truth across generations.

Author Mike Morris has a passion for capturing strong characters from the past. I loved the confidence in the narrative as the different stories of the Sargent women are explored in turn, led by the truly larger-than-life Ma Sargent. Morris’s brilliantly atmospheric language paints a vivid portrait of resilience and defiance against societal expectations. The dialogue and character presentation show huge emotional depth and realism so that we root for these characters and feel their struggles very personally. The complex characters and rich historical backdrop of Creek Indian territory were well-realized too and brought authenticity to the story, capturing the emotional tone of the work and enhancing it all the more with each new setting. Overall, One-legged Uncle Jesse is a compelling exploration of truth, faith, and the enduring legacy of family bonds, and I’d highly recommend it to fans of character-driven historical fiction.