There is a multimillion dollar industry built around the idea that every little girl wants to be a princess. There are costumes, parties, movies and toys that fulfill this dream for them. The wedding of Will and Kate that created a new princess drew the attention of the world, as did the birth of the new prince. The pageant industry is so popular that reality shows have flourished. It’s all about the crown. Well, a small group of women in a town in Mississippi solved that quest for a crown by appointing themselves the Sweet Potato Queens of Jackson, Mississippi. Jill Conner Browne chronicles the creation of the queens in The Sweet Potato Queen’s Book of Love. The first in a series of witty collections of stories, The Book of Love is entertaining and an enjoyable read. It took a bit to get engaged in Browne’s tales as she spent the first section with extensive back store on the group’s organizational structure. Once she began the short vignette’s about lifestyle advice I was hooked. My favorite sections were on how to do nothing and the food needed to host a Sweet Potato Queen funeral. The family less Family Reunion idea was full of humor.

The Sweet Potato Queen concept has become a nation wide phenomenon. Groups around the world now celebrate the idea that you do not have to enter a contest or marry a prince to become royalty. You simply have to declare yourself queen and buy a crown. In fact, a real Sweet Potato Queen doesn’t even need the crown, just the attitude. I hope to grasp the healthiest elements of the Queen’s ideals and celebrate the Queen in all of us.