Original Photos and Mostly-True Stories about Football,
Glue Guns, Moms, and a Supersized High School Tradition
That Was Born Deep in the Heart of Texas
by
Amy J. Schultz
Nonfiction / Photo-Driven Memoir / Women’s History / Pop Culture / Texana
Publisher: Atmosphere Press
Page Count: 178 pages
Publication Date: April 25, 2023
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The closest you’ll ever get to seeing someone actually wear their heart on their sleeve is in Texas, every fall, at the local high school homecoming game.
They’re called homecoming mums. They are as bodacious as football, as irresistible as a juicy rumor, and as deep as a momma’s love. Over a hundred years ago when the custom began, mum was short for chrysanthemum, a typical corsage that boys gave to girls before taking them to the big football game. But through the decades, mum went from a simple abbreviation to a complicated shorthand for an eye-popping tradition that’s as ingrained in the culture as it is confounding to outsiders.
Through her original photography and collection of stories from across and beyond the Lone Star State, Amy J. Schultz takes us deep in the heart of mum country. You’ll meet kids who wear them, parents who buy them, and critics who decry them as just another example of consumerism gone wild. But mostly, you’ll discover that just like every ritual which stands the test of time, someone is keeping the tradition alive. Someone like Mom.
Amy J. Schultz is an author and award-winning photographer who explores unique aspects of modern culture that hide in plain sight. When she isn’t talking about homecoming mums, Amy is writing, taking photos, working on other creative projects, traveling, snort-laughing, or vacuuming up dog fur.
If you love traditions, especially Texas traditions, you’ll enjoy this book from Amy J. Schultz. Everything is bigger in Texas, including high school homecoming mums.
In this book, the author looks at the tradition itself and where it originated. Then she goes to great lengths to describe the detail of creating these enormous mums that often dwarf the girl wearing them. What a fascinating process! Hundreds of yards of ribbons, silk flowers, all kinds of charms, special adornments, and the time it takes to put them all together is nothing short of astronomical.
Considering that homecoming only happens once a year, it’s mind-blowing to learn that the mum-makers work year-round and stay busy. Ms. Schultz says there are 6,400 full-time mum-makers in Texas.
Then, there’s the whole “Ask” part of the process, where the mums are officially exchanged. I loved the variety of scenarios the author chose to share where the teenagers and parents experience everything from embarrassment to exuberant joy.
In putting this book together, the author did her homework, no pun intended. I enjoyed the many stories Ms. Schultz shared from mothers of daughters, mothers of sons, high school students, faculty members, and entrepreneurs who found their niche and a gold mine in making outrageous mums. However, one of my favorite parts of the book is the many photos scattered throughout the book intertwined with these stories. There are happy and heart-warming stories as well as heartbreaking ones.
If you love Texas football and the deep-rooted traditions surrounding it, you will enjoy this in-depth look told from various points of view. And regardless of your opinion about this time-honored tradition, Ms. Schultz assures us nothing about it is dying out or going away. It is a well-written book that you are sure to enjoy.
