BOOKS: If Not for You & Other Stories: Niles Reddick
Nov. 26—Niles Reddick may no longer live in South Georgia but he remains a treasure from South Georgia.
A Valdosta native, Reddick is the son of Harold and Beverly Reddick. He graduated Lowndes High School in 1982. He earned a bachelor's degree in philosophy from Valdosta State before earning a master's degree in psychology from the State University of West Georgia and a doctorate in humanities from Florida State University.
He and his family live in Jackson, Tenn., where he works at the University of Memphis. He's published numerous stories in a variety of literary publications and magazines, including The Saturday Evening Post. He's won several awards and is a Pulitzer Prize nominee.
He's published several books and is a master of micro fiction, which are short stories that are typically less than a handful of pages. His latest book, "If Not for You & Other Tales," is a collection of Reddick micro fiction.
His stories are deep and fun glimpses into people's lives ... and in some cases, deaths. Readers quickly enter one of Reddick's stories, immediately meeting characters and encountering their situations. He takes readers on short trips but ones through dense, insightful and rich landscapes.
Some of the stories will stay with readers far longer than it takes to read them. Each story is well written and smartly paced but the ones that linger will likely depend on the situation and life of each reader.
Simply put, "If Not for You" is, well, not for you, some of the other stories likely will be.
