"Porch Lies" is a collection of short stories that took place during the 1930s. It was common in the 1930s for people to sit on their porches after dinner with their friends and family and tell each other stories. These stories were called "porch lies". The point of these stories was for the audience to determine what bits of the story were true and what were exaggerations. Every story in this book has a different moral, and as the reader it is your job to find the moral of the story that is hidden within the "lies".

This collection of short stories is a great way for students to learn about different cultural practices as well as some history. These stories are set in the 1930s, and they give some insight as to how many people handled the Great Depression. More specifically, it takes a look at African Americans during the Great Depression, and how they turned to blues music for comfort. Not only does this book provide some history on the Great Depression, it shows cultural practices for African Americans during this time period. These book takes a look at how most African Americans passed time in the evening by telling porch lies, how they used blues music as a form of escape from the Depression, and it also gives insight into the language they used. When a character is speaking in this book, they language that is used is not proper. The speakers' grammar is somewhat lacking, and a good portion of slang is used. Although, in my opinion, this made it harder to understand the speakers in the book, it can be used as a tool for teaching students that not everyone will use the sound alike or use the same words or phrases when speaking. 

I honestly did not have a very strong connection with this book other than I find the time period of the Great Depression somewhat interesting. Not only did I not have a strong connection with this book, I also did not enjoy it. However, I do believe that this book is a great way to teach students about cultural diversity in history.