MUMENTOUS:
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
Scroll down for a giveaway!
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.
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A Scrapbook Page for
Amy J. Schultz’s
Mumentous Journey
- The installation of “Whatamum” (as their sponsor recognition) by Whataburger at the Arlington Museum of Art in 2019.
- Amy’s friends Katie (and Elena, not pictured) made her a Mumentous mum! Late 2022.
- Micah and Amy’s photo of Micah at the Mumentous exhibit at the Arlington Museum of Art, 2019.
- Amy, trying on a mum for the first time in 2016.
- Amy throwing mums.
- Amy at the opening reception for her 2019 art exhibit entitled Mumentous at the Arlington Museum of Art.
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.
GIVEAWAY! GIVEAWAY! GIVEAWAY!
TWO WINNERS:
First Prize: signed hardback copy + enamel pin;
Second Prize: eBook + enamel pin
(US only; ends midnight, CST, 9/8/23)
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Ahhhhhh it’s so fun to see these memories collected on your site! Watching the installation of WhataMum was truly incredible. It was commissioned by Whataburger and created by a Dallas-based parade float builder (yep). Thanks for the opportunity to travel down memory lane with you. – Amy J. Schultz, author, MUMENTOUS
Thanks for visiting with us Amy!
Oh my gosh, what a fun post! The Whatamum! These pics really make me smile. Thanks for sharing them & this MUMazing book.
Kristine Anne Hall recently posted…Facing The Enemy ~ Lone Star Book Blog Tours Notable Quotables & Giveaway!
Thanks, Kristine!