Delta Jacks and Other Cards

A sprawling Mississippi saga of mud, mules, money, music and myth, this book has it all, from Elvis to Elia Kazan; from a prince to a pauper; from Tennessee Williams to a boy named Bonehead. It takes us on a journey deep into the mythical place known as The Delta, then goes around the world. It’s a story of gravity and levity. It is very funny, but, more importantly, it’s a story of love and grace.

Delta Jacks and Other Cards is a look at the lives and times of a colorful pack of Mississippi Delta characters, and is imbued with rich humor on every page. It begins with a quick, but deep, romp through the history of the storied region, then focuses on the Perry family’s many Jacks.

The lives of Grandaddy Jack, Daddy Jack, Cousin Jack, and the author, just plain “J” are set forth in a series of hilarious anecdotes, and their stories are both hilarious and poignant, and all infused with the unmistakable soul of the Delta.

J Whitley ''Whit'' Perry is a Mississippi Delta native who, as a young man, walked away from the region ''where too many men are measured by the land they own.''
He attended Chattanooga's McCallie School for boys, starting at 14, and later majored in English at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee, where in 1966 he met his future bride, Penelope Smith, at the local police station. He was a police reporter for The Nashville Banner and she was a summer intern, working as a secretary for the police chief.

They first kissed atop a pile of bat guano in a moonshiner's cave. The Perrys now live in LaGrange, Georgia. They have two sons, Jack and Rob, and one granddaughter, Shiloh.

Whit's journalism career also included writing and photography at The Commercial Appeal in Memphis and at several magazines. He headed up the public relations department at Holiday Inns International in Memphis before moving to Georgia to lead the marketing department of Callaway Gardens, a large horticultural preserve and resort near LaGrange.

Although he spent the last 28 years as a financial planner, Whit has never lost his passion for writing and photography.