South Carolina Books

Focusing on rejected public addresses, M. Lane Bruner's "Strategies of Rememberance" should be required reading not just in colleges and universities, but for anyone who has a need to understand national identity/structure, public memory, and how such things might be guided vis a vis public rhetoric. A book deeply relevant to the present and whatever may lie ahead for us all in the new global culture. Well written and accessible. Very highly recommended.

A couple months ago, I was discussing an aspect of old time banjo playing with one of the most eminent scholars of the five-string banjo on the planet, someone whose work has literally changed my life, someone who has been based in North Carolina for several decades. I illustrated my point by referring to the pictures alone in this book. She turned to me and said, "I have to read this book."

So do you, if you really want to have an understanding of string band music, not only in North Carolina's piedmont, but throughout the South. He takes you from the 1890s to the 1960s, and without presenting heavy conclusions of his own, presents information that will allow you to see much, learn more, and will treasure forever.

This is an important book, whose relevance may be dimmed by the misplaced expectations of those who have awaited it. With Bob Carlin, master banjoist, accompaniest of John Hartford and Joe Thompson among others, and not a shabby guitarist as I can testify, most folks expected a book about the techniques of band music here. That isn't what this book is.

This book is really about who was and is a string band musician in Piedmont Carolina, although there is also much in this book about other parts of the state, and how this fits in to what was going on in the whole South and the nation. This is about who became musicians, how they grew up, where they played, how it fit into lives farming, factory working, or bumming around, how it changed as we went from the 1890s until the 1960s. I've been reading about Old Time Music for 40 years, but I have never seen this done in such a concentrated way.

One of the joys of this book is the many pictures of musicians, bands, band wagons, bands playing at functions, and of musicians showing off their instruments. For several musicians he has shots of them starting in the 1920 or before on up to the 40s, or 50s or 1960s in which you can see the change or lack of it of selection of instruments that were accumulated. In fact his pictures confirm two of my pet concerns: the inclusion in the old time bands of the cello, and the later involvement of the tenor banjo in the whole deal.

Ted Ownby has put together a tremendous book that shows how the culture of the Southern male was influenced by the dramatic changes which followed the War of Northern Aggression ( a.k.a. Civil War). If you have ever wondered how these men could stay out all Saturday night drinking, gambling, running coon dogs, etc. and then drift bleary-eyed into the Sunday morning Church service, this would be an interesting book. Actually, there were very distinct characteristics of the masculine culture and the evangelical culture in which the Southern male lived concurrently. Ownby's book covers many facets of Southern life, such as farm life, the growth of towns as social centers, recreation, church, revival meetings, politics, and improvements to things such as roads. When I read about how mail order catalogs opened markets for many products, I thought about how internet-based shopping was having a similar impact today. I also appreciated Ownby's description of how a cash based economy emerged and increased the interdependency of rural families. The resulting interaction created a need for the community to establish its norms, whereas they were more self-sufficient earlier and isolated from what other people were doing. Ownby has collected data from all over the South. He may even discuss an area with which you are familiar, but if not it is still a great book to read. The change process that is described could apply to almost any Southern area. I have found myself pulling this book down from time to time to review some of the chapters. I recommend it to you and hope you enjoy it. Bobby Lane, Tennessee

Excellent, makes you think about how something so simple as a porch can effect our behavior.

This is one excellent book about Sylva. I've read the entire book several times and I continually find new and interesting things in it. The photos are superb, the print quality is great. It covers a wide variety of Sylva's early history and the information in the photo cutlines is extremely informative. Lynn, you did an outstanding job with the book!

The book is a great story of how two vastly different generations developing relationship is reminicint of a time when family was important. What the Publishers Weekly reviewers and others seem to miss is that a story that takes the reader through the developing relationship of Sylvia and Miz Lula Maye. A straight forward story of a child's relationship with a centarian, what an interesting idea. Why do children stories all have to be mystical or fantasy. Why not just tell a story about life. That is what this book does. An authentic voice and good story.

Charlestonians are a dying breed. With the influx of people from "off" (i.e. outsiders) moving south in droves, driving up property values, and renovating every bit of authenticity out of the city's historic fabric, books like this are one of the last refuges for someone to understand what it was like when Charleston was an actual community rather than a tourist destination, college town, and open air mall. Here are the names, addresses, personalities and stories of the city during the great depression. With this book in hand it is possible to walk the streets and see them through different eyes. Sadly, though, if you go to Dr. Williams's boyhood home address of 119 Wentworth St., you will see a 1970's apartment building instead of the shabby brick Charleston single house so lovingly described in the book. But look closer. There, sandwiched between the apartments and a cinderblock fence is the magnolia tree he mentions next to Kirkland lane. That tree and this book are our living links to the past.

I received this book as a Christmas gift from a friend and throughly enjoyed reading it. The author, Pierre McGowan, brought back many of my childhood and early adult memories of hunting and fishing. My experiences, though not nearly as extensive as those of McGowan, were in rural north Florida. His is a book I read slowly because I enjoyed it so much and hated for it to end. No doubt, anyone, especially from the South, who enjoys hunting and fishing, will be entertained by this book, and I highly recommend it.

E.C.L. Adams was an interesting fellow. In the 1920s, he won the trust of the Blacks in his area and they told him raw stories filled with their true feelings about racial oppression as well as other aspects of their daily lives. Adams collected these stories into two volumes that are collected here (as well as some additional material)that hold up quite well today. No patronizing of his subjects, stereotyping, nor overexaggerated "Negro dialect" which marred similar collections of this kind of material by White writers. I would recommend this and Zora Neale Hurston's "Mules and Men" and "Every Tounge Got to Confess" for anyone who wants to know the real deal on African-American folklore.

One minor complaint, the editor mentions the existance of some other tales that Adams colected that exist in his papers that do not appear in this collection. Wonder why this stuff wasn't included?

A remarkable achievement. The included audio CD is worth the purchase price alone! As a self-taught potter, I particularly appreciate this book. Of the hundreds of items I've purchased through Amazon, this is the first time I've felt really compelled to offer a review. Anyone even marginally serious about making pottery on the wheel or better understanding its Southern roots in the United States will benefit greatly by reading this book and listening to the candid interviews of humble rural craftspeople who did this work simply because they discovered its value and it became their life. This is a wonderful book, and Mr. Mack has captured some real wisdom here that now will be available for many generations to come.