{"product_id":"barber-his-banjo-collection-true-short-stories-9798996544417-new","title":"The Barber \u0026 His Banjo: A Collection of True Short Stories","description":"\u003cp\u003eThe main question you have as a reader is the same question I get to anything I attempt: \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\"Why?\"\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\"Why would you want to do that?\"\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThat has been the question asked about nearly every endeavor I have ever attempted.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe answer is \"Because I can.\"\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eActually, the answer this time is, someone asked me to write a story they had heard me tell, so I did. When I finished with that one, I just kept going.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eMy name is Jim Lloyd. I have been a musician, a music teacher, a barber and, of course, a storyteller (an occupational hazard of a barber) all my life. I have spent the last forty years \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eserving as town barber in Rural Retreat, Virginia. The barbershop has always been a hub for sharing stories, music and news.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eI love stories; they shape us every day. Most people don't even realize they are telling a story; I saw this, I heard that, I met so and so, I remember this; sharing their lives.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eI grew up in the coalfields of Virginia and West Virginia listening to the stories of my elders. My grandfather taught me at a very young age that memory is important. He said stories will fade away when we are gone. People need to know, to remember. That is what we have here: memories.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eStories can inspire, be a warning, be a memory, make us laugh, make us think, or make us cry. Sometimes all at the same moment. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eI hope you experience all the above with this book.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eAllons-y\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eJim\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"INDEPENDENT CAT","offers":[{"title":"New","offer_id":67611346305314,"sku":"9798996544417-new","price":15.24,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0893\/4755\/5618\/files\/9798996544417.jpg?v=1793064474","url":"https:\/\/www.albakireads.com\/products\/barber-his-banjo-collection-true-short-stories-9798996544417-new","provider":"AlbakiReads","version":"1.0","type":"link"}