Scat

About the Book

Scat is a story about a highly intelligent young boy named Lil’ Fellow, his life, his family, and those he interacts with throughout the early years of his life. The reader will get to know and love each character they are reading about. The setting for this story is the early 1900s in a small town. This was the time when schools were still segregated, the time when sharecropping was popular, the days when whites and blacks—races—weren’t treated the same in all respects but worked side by side to get whatever jobs needed doing done. You will not want to miss reading about Pa’s merchant marine days, and Mr. Sato, the Japanese gentleman he meets at sea and establishes a friendship with. Sato plays a part in Lil’ Fellow’s life, too. There is Charlie Oates, a black neighbor of the Butts’s. He and his family play a great part in Lil’ Fellow’s life and the town’s. Nor will you want to miss Ms. Henrietta, the schoolteacher; Roof, the school bully; A. H. Slocham, the preacher; Sara, Lil’ Fellow’s first love; Cutie, Lil’ Fellow’s last love; and the many other interesting characters that intertwine in Lil’ Fellow’s life. Lil’ Fellow, being highly intelligent, faces many challenges in his life. He has a hard time as he begins first grade because of this intelligence and a teacher with a bad attitude toward the male species. He, also has a hard time because of his stature. He is very short for his age. This makes him a prime target for the school bully. It is because of this teacher and the school bully that Lil’ Fellow’s pa and ma decide to home-school him. Their objective is to get him to seventh grade in a year’s time. By doing this, he will not have the same teacher the following school term. Pa uses this time to teach Lil’ Fellow how to “protect himself,” too. Pa, being an old merchant marine, had learned many ways of survival during his voyages.

About the Author

Billy was born and raised in Douglas County, Georgia, about thirty miles west of Atlanta in a small community called Winston, with a population of just a few. His birthday is September 11, 1930, a reminder of the tragic day of 9/11.

Billy is retired from the army—a master sergeant in the Airborne and Rangers. He spent many years overseas including during the Vietnam and Korean wars.

He is active in church, the Masons, and the Shiners. It gives him great pleasure to help crippled children and orphans. He likes to read, and to restore antique furniture.

Billy says his dislike for mules made him join the army, but now he likes mules because they made a profession for him. He wants to hug one every month when he gets his retirement check.

Billy now lives near Washington, Georgia. He has a house and twelve acres of land—room for a mule. Billy and his late wife, Hattie, have one child and two grandchildren, a boy and a girl.