Tennessee Books

This book is one of the most important studies that uses oral history and folklore research. Beginning with stories about night riders and beliefs about the supernatural, Fry documents stories about white people's use of folklore to attempt to intimidate African Americans. The book traces out stories of night riders and legends throughout American history as it demonstrates how the stories began with the patrollers and the KKK. She demonstrates how the stories continued into the 20th century and how the old beliefs transformed into plausible scenarios that make sense in relation to contemporary social tensions. The book has been critiqued for not dealing with black people's resistance to oppression, but this criticism misses the mark of what Fry accomplishes: namely, she has written a careful analysis of relationships between belief, oral history, and systems that establish hegemonies. To further balance out the aspects of resistance that show up in these complex belief systems, I would recommend reading Patricia Turner's excellent study "I Heard it Through the Grapevine."

When I read the professional book review, I was disappointed, for the reviewer either does not understand the story told here or lacks certain cognitive ability....This is a great book, well researched and extremely well documented. This is not the story of some heathen band of farmers being puppeted by large land holders as the reviewer stumbles with. This is a document which validates the efforts of those farmers with enough foresight and guts to break the chains of slavery imposed by a monopolistic market place, controlled by "the trust", James B Duke, who was the American Tobacco Company (yes, same Duke as the University and Duke Power)who controlled all aspects of the tobacco market in the United States and Europe.(The reviewer mentions Missouri and Illinois which never in history have grown tobacco and do not enter into the picture in any frame here except that the author may have taught in Universities in those states.) And these undereducated farmers then took steps to enforce the fact that no farmer could benefit unjustly from the sacrifices made by all the member farmers of the Tobacco Association to bring about the end to the unjust enrichment of the Trust. This is the story of economic justice at the point of force, first of numbers and then the willingness to commit talk to action in defending the future of every farm family in Western Kentucky and Middle Tennessee...with blood for blood if necessary. This is a story of economic and social action. It is an enduring story...which lasted into the new millenium...until today...
Only in the racial aspects attempted to be pulled into the frame of the picture does Waldrep venture into left field...it was never about race. Blacks were involved as association members and even as Night Riders...and although not in actions pivitol, they fought bravely for economic justice on their own terms. I am currently writing my book "The last Night Rider" which tells the story as it was lived by my family....my grandfather was the next door neighbor to Dr Dave Amoss, the Night Rider General....My four great uncles were all heavily involved in all of the raids and activities. I recommend the Waldrep book...it is very good reading....

This book is NOT by John Thomas Scopes, who did not pen his autobiography "Center of the Storm" until after the release of the film version of "Inherit the Wind" rekindled interest in his 1925 trial in Dayton, Tennessee. This volume contains the "complete stenographic record" of the trial, which was published that same year as "The World's Most Famous Court Trial." The book is supplemented by the text of William Jennings Bryan's undelivered antievolution speech, caricatures of the various lawyers, and photographs of the proceedings. This volume should not be confused with the official trial transcript and the only point at which the absolute accuracy of the record is suspect is the end of the celebrated cross-examination of Bryan by Clarence Darrow. Several of the first person accounts of the conclusion of that infamous encounter have lawyers yelling things that are not preserved in this record, but it is not all that farfetched to imagine the bedlam at the moment and the impossibility of maintaining an accurate record. Besides, Judge Raulston ruled the exchange inadmissible when court reconvened.

I did my dissertation on the Scopes Trial and if you are interested in doing anything with the case or its still vibrant issues, this book contains your primary documentation. Do not get caught up with what people SAY about the trial, READ the transcript. Many history books confuse the "Inherit the Wind" version of what happened with the real trial (most importantly, Bryan volunteered the idea the days of Genesis were not literally twenty-four hour periods, he was not cornered into the admit ion). This trial is as fascinating today as it was 75 years ago.

Exceptional play fitted with perfectly great performers. I saw it first hand here in Des Moines, IA. It was sad, funny, inspiring, dangling, ramantic and beautiful.

I had the good fortune to have Professor Sullivan as instructor in two English classes at Vanderbilt. He was one of the kindest and wisest professors I have ever known.

His autobiography reveals how much Walter Sullivan enjoyed his profession. The picture he gives of his academic career is one of fun and hearty good fellowship with most of his colleagues. I had not been aware how much southern English professors enjoyed their cocktails, but it appears it was rather a lot.

The sad part of this autobiography is the chronicling of a decline in humanistic learning at Vanderbilt which the author observed during the last decades of his career. The study of literature based around close reading of the text was replaced by the ideological rantings of the post moderns. Aristotelian logic gave way to the studied illogicalities of the Frankfurt School and all those who sailed in it. The Department of English at Vanderbilt was one of the humanistic glories of the nation. No longer.

I entered the university teaching profession long after the hires had already been made which would transform departments of History, English and foreign literatures into the hopeless morass of twisted ideologies we currently enjoy. Accordingly, I have spent a fair amount of time building levees against a tide already set in motion in the heyday of people like Walter Sullivan.

Like the nobility of the early eighteenth century, Professor Sullivan and southern academics of his viewpoint, had a jolly good time without noticing or wanting to notice that there was a concerted gathering of barbarians not simply circling around the city but actually passing through the gates into the city. How I wish that some of the energy spent in innocent enjoyment of the academic life had been spent by Sullivan and his colleagues in identifying and stopping the incursion. It is clear from this autobiography that Walter Sullivan felt that it was all due to a random change of fashion. It never occurred to Sullivan and his associates that there was any planning in the sea change which would ultimately swamp humanistic learning in the American academy. With such a careless inattention to what was going on, how could the post moderns not have won?

We mourn the passing of Walter Sullivan. We shall not see his like in the younger generation of "humanities" professors, for people with his views are no longer hireable.

This book is not just for Tennesseans - it's for any body that has an appreciation for nature, wildlife and the great outdoors. This book is a road map of human nature for generations past and rekindles many childhood memories. I would recommend this book for anybody anywhere.

Donald L. Cherry Bolivar, TN.

This lady tells it like it was. Brought back old memories. Pod book, so overpriced, but worth it to me! Thanks Mona!

While not growing up on a farm myself, I do live in the approximate area in which Thomas B. Allen's story, On Granddaddy's Farm, takes place. Allen has certainly captured the essence of the locales he mentions in the story. His words paint pictures and evoke the smells that one encounters on a farm. The characters bring to life all that a country family experiences during not only this time in history, but also in some aspects of today's fastly disappearing farm family. Granddaddy's insistance of the work ethic, Granny's always being there to watch over and provide for the children, the rhythm of the train's always dependable schedule all elicit the "protectiveness and dependence" of a time we all have enjoyed or longed to enjoy in our own lifetimes.

On Harper Lee is a compilation of everything you wanted to know about one of the greatest writers ever.

This book is a fun look back over the history of Vol greats! We loved the pictures.