Makin' Do A River Tale

In Makin' Do, A River Tale, Roy Sweat tells a wonderful adventure story of a time, a people, and a way of life that have disappeared from the American landscape over the past fifty years. This is a fast-paced, rough-edged story of growing up outdoors without much adult supervision, harvesting what nature provided. It is especially appealing for young people, but also captures the interest of adults, many of whom can remember something of these times gone by. The late 1950s and the 1960s were a time of rapid change throughout the nation, but nowhere was it more so than in the South. Segregation was being challenged and cities were evolving to be more like cities elsewhere in the nation. But for many people in the rural counties of Florida, mainly those away from the coastal centers, many vestiges of the old ways hung on. Many poor people, both black and white, retained the skills of hunting, fishing, and trapping that had allowed generations to get by on very little. Living mostly outdoors among the elements, they took what they needed from the bounty of the land and gave to each other from generous hearts. This was true for many of the poor folk who lived along the St. John's River in Central Florida. They called their lifestyle "Makin' Do." For the boys in this story it was an idyllic world that could not last forever, but it helped shape them into strong young men who lived with energy and compassion. This is a story of the people, told in the vernacular with all its colloquial forms. It couldn't be told any other way.