Its an interesting book - although i can see why some people might feel impatience with it. The author is preacher living in the area that Lemon came from.

He has contacted a lot of people who knew Lemon, but their reminisces don't really add a great deal to our understanding of lemon's technique, or give much insight into the great man's thought processes. Of particular interest to me is Lemon's interest late in his career in crime and punishment.

Uzzel notes this - but if there was any incident happening locally that brought this into sharp focus in his mind, its not guessed at. I think what does emerge from the book is a picture of a man with a very solid awareness of the small community in which he grew up.

In short Lemon was a folksinger - one who grew up in a community where traditional music making had deep roots and a definite cultral significance.