Hazelwood author releases second book of wisdom from ‘Granny’ | The Homepage

Sequel explores author’s experience with intimate partner violence

Writer Ella Meredith holds a copy of her new memoir, “Granny Said 2.” Photo by Heather Mull

By Juliet Martinez, managing editor

Ella Meredith lives in the home where she grew up from the age of 13 on Renova Street. It was her grandmother’s house then, and now it’s hers. Her “Granny,” Ella Spears, raised her and her sister, Charlene, since early childhood. After their grandfather died, their mother wanted to make sure Granny was not lonely, so the two girls went to live with her.

Growing up with Granny armed Ms. Meredith with a bounty of wisdom for facing life’s difficulties. Now 73, she wrote her first book, “Granny Said,” in 2022. The sequel, “Granny Said 2,” is now out. Ms. Meredith threw a book release party on Nov. 7 at her home.

The first book in the series focuses on Ms. Spears’ birth and early life in South Carolina. The second book focuses on her family life and the wisdom she offered Ms. Meredith through childhood and adulthood as she became a mother and found herself in an abusive marriage.

The Homepage spoke with Ms. Meredith about the books in early November. Her answers have been edited lightly.

What is “Granny Said 2” about?

It’s a follow-up to the first one, “Granny Said,” just keeping it going.

No matter what job I had, I was always quoting something Granny said. Someone heard me and said, “You’re always quoting your grandma. Why don’t you write a book?” That’s how that started.

What do you remember most about Granny?

How sweet she was. Granny was sweet. She taught me how to be sweet.

Granny always kept us in church. She taught me how to be a lady, a woman, and how to be strong. There were strong ladies in my family. So I was strong because of Granny’s guidance.

My mother used to say I wear my heart on my sleeve because that’s the kindness that I took up after Granny. She taught me how to be kind and treat people how you wish to be treated.

Granny could get tough when she wanted, like in the first book when she found out about her husband cheating [and pulled a gun on him and his girlfriend]. She was so quiet, but she would say, “If you put your hand up, you’ll draw back a nub. Because I’m going to cut it right off. Don’t even try it.” Granny was tough.

What do you want people to take away from the book?

The values of family. The values of grandmas. Grandmothers mean a whole lot. As we start to get older, the kids look up to us like we did to Granny.

Grandmas pray for the kids. I pray for everybody. I even pray for President Trump, and I’m not a Republican, but I pray for him because God said to pray for people.

Granny taught my sister and me how to cook. The bed was always changed. She was a clean lady, and I’m patterned after her.

People say, “You’re like your grandmother,” because I’m in the garden, always growing stuff. She made little farmers out of us because she was from South Carolina; a country girl.

She had us up at 5 in the morning to pick black-eyed peas, which I don’t cook anymore because Granny had too many bushels of those. I was like, “That’s enough of that!”

I cook like Granny did. The collard greens and the mac and cheese, mashed potatoes and sweet potato pie. Black-eyed peas I’ll do once in a while for the holiday, but I don’t eat them because Granny black-eyed-peased us to death.

What was your experience with abuse?

My ex-husband was four years older than me, 6’4” tall, with dark skin. Just mean. I sort of walked into some of it because I was young, and he was macho. He ran and kept his nice shape. I was attracted to that.

I was his second wife. He was married three times. The first one, he beat her up so bad that he broke her arm or something.

I didn’t know he was abusive until I helped a friend who was blind find the bathroom in my house. I wasn’t married to my ex-husband then, but he was showing his jealousy. The bathroom was in the basement, and I had to lead my friend down there because he was blind. That’s when it started.

He was scary. I was scared to call the cops. I was scared to do things. Some women just call the cops or brick his car. I thought I’d get it worse if I did any of that. I was married to him for 24 years.

He had nice days. When he had nice days, people didn’t see that part. But he would change on you.

What do you want people to know about abuse?

You don’t know what a person’s really like, so just give them a year, maybe two, before you marry. Granny said it takes about two years to really know them.

But if you start seeing the abusive signs, you should get out of it. Even if you fall in love, it’s time to back out because it will get worse. They always say they’re going to stop, but they don’t. I know a lot of women who got beat up and even killed.

Granny used to say, “Don’t marry for money if you don’t love them. If there’s no kindness or gentleness, don’t even bother.”