These stories grab us by the throat on the first page and never let go. Beautiful writing, complex characters, hard-earned wisdom abound, but what strikes me the most is what cannot be taught: the ability to tell a story, as in the work of Alice Munro, in which the writer disappears and the story reads as if a free agent of its own making.With Down to the Root, David Dickson establishes himself as an essential North Carolina writer. More than any other contemporary writer I’ve read, David Dickson’ s stories evoke the grit and heart of Larry Brown.

—Ron Rash, author of Serena

David Dickson’s relentless curiosity fuels his gritty storytelling, and this gut punch of a collection offers an unflinching stare into our shared humanity. Like the character Gus in Black Leather Jacket, Dickson values truth.Root is a brutally truthful, achingly beautiful book of short stories, with zero interest in romanticizing the hardscrabble South that this author knows intimately.

—Michel Stone, author of The Iguana Tree and Border Child

David Dickson solves the age old question of nature vs. nurture by proving that it’s neither. He is a cross between Breece D’J Pancake and Charles Portis with a sliver of the old testament prophet Amos thrown in for the aftertaste.

—Tim Peeler, author of West of Mercy

The landscape of Down to the Root is familiar and haunting because David Dickson is impeccably honest and unafraid. Writers get to live twice, first in their bodies and then in their pages. Dickson possesses the best visceral qualities of a writer who does not flinch from the stark realities of our forlorn march through life’s constant series of uncertainties. His powers of observation, manifested in the detailed particulars of his character’s day to day existence, make these pages fulsome and vivid. His ear for dialect is just as keen, and I blasted through these stories, buoyed by surprise, delighted to know that a new talent has found his footing.

—Keith Flynn, author of The Skin of Meaning

David Dickson’s stories are taut and compelling. There’s real urgency in his voice, and he’s got a great eye and a great ear. This is work I truly admire. It’s from the heart.

—Steve Yarbrough, author of Stay Gone Days

About the Author

David Dickson entered the world in 1963 at Perrin Field in Grayson County, Texas. Born to a Fighter Pilot father, his mother was a musical Savant. He has one sibling, an older sister. The product of the North Carolina Public Education System, David spent 27 years as a High School History teacher. He divides his time between Texas and North Carolina as the father of two sons. The stories in this collection were written in North Carolina.

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