Stories of growing up in a small North Carolina town in the 30s and 40s. Colorful characters include family members, school teachers and employers. Title comes from sitting in the Amen Corner of a small country church with grandfather and singing the hymns from shape notes. Adventures include taking cow to bull for service, driving a worn-out truck for a lumber company, learning the printing trade at the local newspaper office, bookkeeping for a peach packing shed and learning to fly airplanes during summer vacations from school. There were also ventures into dens of iniquity and using a telephone for target practice.