Mississippi Books

I earned a bachelor's degree from the UT Dallas with hopes of one day going on to UT Law in Austin. Instead, after a diversion of 4 years into the US army, I went to UT to begin and complete an undergrad degree in nursing. For me, the best part of the book was Morris' impression of Texas politics back in the 60s when we had only one party to speak of: the Democratic party. At the state level the Republican party would eventually emerge to dominate the legislature and all statewide elected offices. Most folks who had been the old style conservative Democrats of the type Morris writes about quietly and without fanfare "moved their letter" to the GOP in the early days of Ronald Reagan. Its fair to say that most of the legislature's conservatives back in the day when Morris toiled away at the Texas Observer were earlier incarnations of Tom DeLay or Warren Chisum. And when I attended a Gubernatorial inaugural ball for George W Bush, tellingly one of the old "conservative Democrat" governors was there ensconced in a wheel chair to celebrate W's ascendancy to the largely ceremonial Texas Governor's job.



I particularly enjoyed Morris' writings about his early days as a student at UT. It is a vast campus today and I'm sure it was equally intimidating to a young man from Yazoo City Mississippi. Morris' references to various dorm bldgs and campus activities held special significance since I had either been in any of them or walked by them regularly. Unlike in Morris' day, today the campus dominant political viewpoint is Democratic, although a strong libertarian movemt continues to attract all who've grown disenchanted with the superstate



Aside from the period piece on UT and the politics of the mid50s, early 60s what I most found valuable was the agonizing dilemma Morris and so many other Southern writers faced: they loved their home states and all the quaint slow ways they'd known growing up there, but they were rightly repulsed by the segregation and race-hate which surfaced with the beginnings of the civil rights movement. Tellingly, when a black female (they called them Negroes in them days) confronted Morris' description of life in the delta she told him rather bluntly "Your delta wasnt mine" and perhaps at that and other moments Morris realized he hadnt been as observant of the world around him as he thought he had been. Like Germans in the decades just after World War II, Morris and other southern men of letters were almost reflexively apologetic for being from the South.

I cant help but wonder how the nation and Mississippi would view Morris had he and other southern writers been willing to lend their name and fame to an organization akin to "They Dont Speak for Me" wherein the so-called liberated Southern writers could openly distance themselves from Lester Maddox, Orval Faubus, George Wallace and other race-baiting demogogues. Instead, when Morris and other southern literary men were on the radio and could have easily taken such a "they dont speak for me" line, they chose to divert the interviewer away from integration or other issues to more trivial things.

These days, people are probably more likely to know of Willie Morris as the boy in the movie, "My Dog Skip." So if anything, they know he grew up in a small town in 1940's Mississippi. They mostly wouldn't know that years later, after an education at the University of Texas, he was a Rhodes Scholar in Oxford, a controversial newspaper editor in Texas, and the youngest editor of America's oldest continuously published magazine, Harper's.

Throughout his adult life he was a writer. His memoir "North Toward Home" is a recollection of a boyhood in pre-integration Mississippi, the rough and tumble of state politics which he covered for the Texas Observer, and coming to terms as a Southerner with New York City, which he liked to call "the Cave."

As a writer, Morris saw both the humor and sadness in the circumstances of daily life. He was fascinated by people and politics, and deeply committed to social justice. Growing up in the rural South, he also had a strong sense of how people are shaped by their history, traditions, and the terrain of the land they call home.

His many books include an account of school integration in his hometown in 1970, a tribute to his friend James Jones, author of "From Here to Eternity," and an account of the making of "Ghosts of Mississippi," Rob Reiner's film based on the murder trial and conviction of the man who shot Medgar Evers. One of the best introductions to Morris' style and favorite subjects is a collection of essays and exerpts from longer works, "Terrains of the Heart and Other Essays on Home," which was published in his later years and is currently in print.

A great companion volume for "North Towards Home" is "From the Mississippi Delta: A Memoir," by African-American writer Endesha Ida Mae Holland. Her book is a compelling account of growing up poor and black in small-town Mississippi and coming of age during the civil rights struggles of the 1960s. Together, these two books provide a fascinating look at both sides of the racial divide in the Deep South of the mid-20th century.

Like a lot of other readers, I first became aware of Willie Morris when I read "My Dog Skip." I followed that up with the lesser known, but equally enjoyable, "My Cat Spit McGee" (in which Morris, an avowed dog lover and cat hater, comes to love a cat).

But for me, his most brilliant work has got to be "North Toward Home," which I did not discover until after he died in 1999. What is it about southern writers, particularly those from Mississippi (a state that continues to have one of the highest illiteracy rates in the world), that leads them to be such masterful story tellers?

This book was first published in 1967, but it still resonates beautifully today. Here Morris recounts his childhood in Mississippi, his time at the University of Texas, his days as a writer covering the wild Texas political scene, and his life as a transplanted Southerner adapting to life in New York (where at age 32 he became the editor of "Harper's)."

Morris brilliantly captures the changing environment in the United States as he traces his life in the forties, fifties, and sixties. Its too bad Morris died relatively young at 65, because I would have loved to see what else he had to write had he lived into his eighties or nineties.

This is about as good as an autobiography can get, as Morris examines not only his only personal growth over a thirty some-odd year period, but also reveals much about the changing political and social environment of those times.

"North Toward Home", by Willie Morris, Houghton Mifflin, Boston, 1967.
This is the autobiography of a small town boy who went to the big city and became editor-in-chief of Harper's, once the oldest magazine in America. The book, 438 pages in the 1967 edition is broken up into three sections:
(1) Mississippi: 146 pages.
(2) Texas: 163 pages
(3) New York: 125 pages.

It is in his description of his young life in the small town of Yazoo City, Mississippi, that Mr. Morris really achieves his most memorable scenes and the most interesting writing in the book. His family is "old" and he explains that on his mother's side he is related to the Harpers who founded Harpers Ferry, Virginia.
The section on university studies emphasizes his time at the University of Texas, where he over-committed himself by trying to become involved in just about everything. In this university section, the writing of Mr. Morris degrades towards the usual descriptions of fraternities, football and fornication, common enough for the colleges of the later fifties and early sixties.

Finally, in the third section, dealing with New York City, his writing becomes even more mundane as he recounts his experiences, which could be entitled "Only In New York". this kind of thing is so common that late night TV talk shows use it as a fill-in staple. The redeeming quality of his writing is his ability to being the point of view of a Southerner to his New York City anecdotes. He calls NYC the "Big Cave".

But, it is Morris, himself, who makes it clear why he is working in New York City, and not Mississippi. Morris recounts an anecdote concerning Robert Frost that sums up the intellectual achievement of his book and the South:

"Once I had escorted Robert Frost in a taxicab to Rhodes house for a talk.
`Where are you from, boy?' he had asked.
`Mississippi', I replied.
`Hell, that's the worst sate in the Union', he said.
But, I argued, it had produced a lot of good writers.
He said, `Can't anybody down there read them'". (Page 196).

Willie Morris opens his personal novel, North Toward Home, with the expected picture of the white South: Magnolia and pecan trees line the country roads, the farm kids ride the bus line from end to end for entertainment, and Miss Mississippi lives next door. He throws in some anecdotes about Civil War monuments, an ostracized pacifist, daddy's pick up truck, mama's cookin', the sweet smell of talcum powder, and the Almighty's will and pretty much covers every Southern stereotype within the first several pages. Morris' warm hometown descriptions made me feel nostalgic about a place and time that are not even my own. And while he specifies that his town was "pleasant" for a white boy, he certainly understates his point-remember, this is the same Yazoo, Mississippi that Ida B. Welles specifically cites in her condemnation of Klu Klux Klan violence.
In many ways, his book invokes nostalgia simply because it describes experiences common to all childhoods: nature's beauty, summer nights, and baseball games-but his tales are accented with a strictly Southern twang-like terrifying his aunts by yelling that `the Yankees are coming!' His home is a place where politicians and preachers stand arm in arm to spread prayer and propaganda, and a gathering of any size and purpose is preceded by a country barbeque. His narratives are full of characters that seem too flamboyant and stereotypical to be real-no satirist could create a better parody. He recalls adventures and pranks in the vein of Huck Finn.But it is clear that in his early childhood Morris saw blacks as harmless, benevolent simpletons, one-dimensional, dim-witted creatures that were easily impressed and in fact easily manipulated into a variety of emotions. He, along with the rest of the white population, viewed blacks only in terms of how they served the white community-their purpose was to perform menial chores, win football games, and share their musical talents.
AS morris ages, class and race issues must be addressed.He highlights racial conflict inherent in southern culture...
Morris' observations of and interactions with various politicians remind me of Gore Vidal's historical fictions (particularly Burr). He dryly recounts these incredible stories about colorful and notorious characters that we love to hate...
Morris wittingly and poignantly chronicals his shift to liberalism

If you like southern writers, if you like Eudora Welty, if you like eccentric characters, if you like a little slapstick in your novels, don't miss this one.
Uncle Daniel goes down in literary history as one of the most engaging and memorable of all characters as he 'just loves to give things away, loves to make people happy.' And, oh, the trouble he causes with his largesse!
Read it and laugh.

Eudora Welty possessed a remarkable talent for crawling into the skin of her characters--and Edna Earl Ponder is one of her most astonishing creations. Like her widely anthologized short story "Why I Live at the P.O.," Welty's short novel THE PONDER HEART is written as a monologue, giving the reader the unexpected sensation of sitting across the front porch from Edna Earl herself as she determinedly relates the story of how her eccentric Uncle Daniel unexpectedly found himself on trial for murder in their tiny Mississippi town.

THE PONDER HEART is a masterpiece of American humor. The humor of the novel is not, however, so much in the story (amusing though it is) as in the way it is told. Edna Earl has a typically Southern knack for turning a colorful phrase, and throughout her narrative she takes us on a tour of the best of Southern venacular, tossing off several memorable comments and laugh-out-loud descriptions on every page--particularly when it comes to white trash Bonnie Lee Peacock, who marries the addlepated Uncle Daniel on a trial basis. And if you're not Southern enough to completely grasp the definition of "white trash," that most Southern of perjoratives, Edna Earl will leave you in no doubt as to what precisely it means.

Welty wrote considerably deeper works than THE PONDER HEART--her stunning short stories and the Pulitizer Prize winning novel THE OPTIMIST'S DAUGHTER come quickly to mind--but for pure-dee down home humor Edna Earl, Uncle Daniel, Bonnie Lee, and the Peacock family are hard to beat. A touching, hilarious, and extremely memorable work that you'll probably return to again and again! Strongly recommended.

"The South impresses its image on the Southern writer from the moment he is able to distinguish one sound from another," Flannery O'Connor wrote in her 1963 essay "The Catholic Novelist in the Protestant South," and Eudora Welty expressed a similar sentiment roughly 20 years later in her
memoir "One Writer's Beginnings," when she wrote that ever since she had first been read to, and then started to read herself, there had never been a line that she had not *heard* as her eyes followed the words on the page, possibly out of the desire to read as a listener. And indeed, as Flannery O'Connor remarked in the above-mentioned essay, "the Southern writer's greatest tie with the South is through his ear."

While proof of the truth of these statements can be found throughout the literature written by both of these preeminent Southern novelists, Eudora Welty's novella "The Ponder Heart" is perhaps one of the most obvious examples thereof as it is actually written in the form of a monologue, addressed to an imaginary traveler who happens to find himself - by force of circumstance rather than plan - in the small town of Clay, Mississippi, somewhere off the main highway and not quite halfway between Tupelo and the Mississippi-Alabama border, in Edna Earle Ponder's Beulah Hotel; face to face with the hostess. "My Uncle Daniel's just like your uncle, if you've got one ... he loves society and he gets carried away," she immediately tells her visitor about her Uncle Daniel's "one weakness" and proceeds, without further ado, to tell her family's story; thus proving herself afflicted by that same weakness of "getting carried away," and as the reader/listener soon discovers, it is just as impossible to get a word in with her narrative as it is with Uncle Daniel Ponder.

But then, you don't even really want to interrupt her: too often she makes you smile or laugh out loud at her descriptions of family and townsfolk, too much you are getting caught up in the story, and too acute is the appearance of her observations. For no doubt, Eudora Welty was not only a keen observer of Southern society; she also mastered the transformation of her observations into the written word with a skill matched only by a select few of her fellow Southern writers. And true to Welty's reflection in her memoir - and to her desire to write as a listener, as much as she used to read as a listener - it is impossible not to actually hear Edna Earle talking to you as you turn the pages, in that unmistakable drawl which seems to roll past your ears languidly, much like the waves of the mighty Mississippi, and which smells of bourbon and magnolias.

Thus, in the space of less than 200 pages, we make the acquaintance of Grandpa Ponder, whose fortune would become Edna Earle's to watch over and Uncle Daniel's to give away, Uncle Daniel's first wife Miss Teacake Magee nee Sistrunk (who sang at her own wedding, which turned out to be bad luck because the marriage didn't hold), his second wife Bonnie Dee Peacock ("a little thing with yellow fluffy hair," white trash as trash can be, who after a couple months' marriage "on trial" declared the trial over and left town, but was later lured back to Clay, much to her own misfortune) and of course Uncle Daniel himself, a big man with a big heart and only seemingly a simple soul who constantly needs minding, first by his father (Grandpa Ponder), then by Edna Earle - but who surprises you again and again with his unexpected, only half-conscious witticisms and insights: a veritable court jester in the medieval tradition with the flair of a 20th century gentleman raised in the traditions of the old South. And the story that unfolds before your eyes and ears is as colorful as its protagonists, from Uncle Daniel's early commitment to an asylum to his trial for Bonnie Dee Peacock's murder, with an outcome as wildly unexpected as only Daniel Ponder could have caused it.

Flannery O'Connor, who likewise created many a character who could have populated the world of Eudora Welty's "The Ponder Heart," said that whenever she was asked why Southern writers in particular seemed to have a tendency to write about freaks, this was "because we are still able to recognize one." She warned, however, that outlandish as they might be, the heroes of modern Southern literature are not primarily intended to be comic but rather, prophetic figures reminding us of a long-forgotten responsibility, and she noted that *any* fiction coming out of the South was invariably liable to be called "grotesque," unless it actually was grotesque, in which case it would be called "photographic realism." ("The Catholic Novelist in the Protestant South.") And Eudora Welty, whose keen sense of observation in fact did find expression not only in her writing but also in a number of celebrated collections of photography, called location, in an essay written the same year as "The Ponder Heart," "the crossroads of circumstance" and "the heart's field;" intrinsically linked to the emotions and experiences described in any good piece of fiction writing. ("Place in Fiction," 1954.) In that sense, "A Ponder Heart" is a piece of Southern fiction in the best literary tradition - in addition to which, it is a pure delight to read.

Also recommended:
Eudora Welty : Stories, Essays & Memoir (Library of America, 102)
Eudora Welty : Complete Novels: The Robber Bridegroom, Delta Wedding, The Ponder Heart, Losing Battles, The Optimist's Daughter (Library of America)
Flannery O'Connor : Collected Works : Wise Blood / A Good Man Is Hard to Find / The Violent Bear It Away / Everything that Rises Must Converge / Essays & Letters (Library of America)
The Heart is a Lonely Hunter/Reflections in a Golden Eye/The Ballad of the Sad Cafe/The Member of the Wedding/The Clock Without Hands (Library of America)
To Kill a Mockingbird (Harper Perennial Modern Classics)
To Kill a Mockingbird (Universal Legacy Series)

People love a holy fool -- Prince Myshkin, Innocent Smith, Elwood P. Dowd.

And one of the more lovable ones is Daniel Ponder, whom his niece describes as "just like your uncle, if you've got one -- only he has one weakness." Actually his weaknesses seem to be excessive friendliness and generosity -- and that's what indirectly sparks off this arch, slightly madcap little murder trial.

Edna Earle runs a hotel in a small Southern town called Clay, and helps take care of her sweet, not-too-bright Uncle Dan. Dan is generous and friendly almost to a fault, which even leads his stiff-backed father to commit him to an asylum (in a "Harveyesque" twist, the dad is accidentally committed instead).

More importantly, Uncle Dan gets married -- once to an eccentric Baptist widow, and then to an ephemerally pretty teenager from a none-too-genteel background. Considering the marriage a "trial," the self-absorbed Bonnie Dee soon leaves Dan, comes back, ejects him from his own vast house. When Edna convinces Dan to cut off all money, she asks him to return -- only to be found dead the next morning.

And after the most white-trash funeral you can imagine, Bonnie Dee's nasty family immediately charges Dan with murder. Unfortunately, Dan doesn't really recognize the danger he is in. And the murder trial soon turns into a circus, with the trashy family, lightning balls, some inconveniently-placed servants, and two completely inept lawyers in the mix.

As with all of Eudora Welty's fiction, "The Ponder Heart" drips with Southern atmosphere and gentle eccentricities. Instead of the typical cliche trappings, Welty introduces us more to the attitudes and likably odd people who populate the South, ranging from outright weirdos to the slightly odd. In few other books could you find a murder trial interrupted by a couple of boys dragging a fig tree.

And since the whole book is seen through Edna's eyes, Welty spins out a story in arch, slightly exasperated prose. It spins out slowly and with many side-stories and tangents, full of conversational moments ("Oh, but he was proud of her") and vivid little descriptions ("like one of those dandelion puff-balls"). And her throwaway lines can tell you more than most writers can with a whole paragraph, such as Edna noting that Mrs. Peacock wore tennis shoes to her daughter's funeral -- which, in an instant, tells us everything we need to know about Mrs. Peacock.

But the sense of restrained absurdity really blossoms when the trial starts -- that's when Welty really brings out the satire guns. The whole thing starts to resemble a circus, with really awful lawyers, trashy in-laws, and a blind coroner who contributes exactly nothing. The whole trial becomes more and more surreal, until Uncle Dan's eccentric, generous nature clinches it.

In fact, Uncle Dan is the heart of the entire story: a lovable child-man whose naive, generous spirit is uncorrupted by the nasty intentions of those around him. He's too sweet to be irritating, and too unworldly to be easy to live with. It's easy to see why the fiercely down-to-earth Edna loves and protects the old guy, no matter what he does.

"The Ponder Heart" is a warm little story that happily dances on the borders of Southern farce, but never gets too silly. Delicious, funny and heartwarming.

This is a cute little book that's very easy to read. I found myself identifying with both the narrator, Edna Earle, and Uncle Daniel. If you're looking for a book that's easy on the brain, then this is the one for you.

Confession - I have been a Shelby Foote fan since reading his novel "Shiloh". I was first exposed to his "Civil War: A Narrative" trilogy while in college. Volume three came was released fall of my senior year. I have read the first two volumes and am about 125 pages into volume three at this writing.

C. Stuart Chapman has written an enlightening and well-written book that conveys an impartial message. His writing lets you know he is a Foote admirer.

What I like best about the book is it tells a good story. Foote came from Greenville, Mississippi. His family was a wealthy, plantation owning family who had lost their money before his birth. His mother was Jewish - a Rosenstock. His boyhood and lifelong friend was Walker Percy, who later became a celebrated novelist. Percy's influence and friendship cover most of Foote life. Percy Walker died in the late 1980's.

Shelby Foote had his faults. They were clearly pointed out by Chapman. They included his womanizing, dropping out of the University of North Carolina, getting a court martial and booted out of the Army with initially a dishonorable discharge, later commuted to a "other than honorable" discharge. He has two failed marriages. His getting future wife number two pregnant before marriage. It took an intellectual woman who was a classmate of Jackie Kennedy to finally tame Shelby Foote. She abandoned her medical doctor first husband and two children to marry and become Mrs. Shelby Foote number three. He exaggerated the depth of his friendship with the man he idolized, Nobel winner William Faulkner. Percy Walker frequently floated a loan to Foote in the early years which allowed him to keep writing.

I found it interesting that when Foote moved to Memphis he lived in the inner city and did not seem to have issue living in a transitional neighborhood. Foote contempt for academics was interesting. I felt at times he wished he was one, but he knew he lacked the sheepskin credential.

The roll of the Ken Burns series on "The Civil War" to make Foote a national name, providing the fame he longed for, and to make him financially solvent with the record sales of his books after the airing of the PBS mini-series was enlightening. A star was born.

This is a good book, well written, interesting, and won the 2002 Eudora Welty Prize. The author C. Stuart Chapman received his Ph.D. from Boston University, where he studied American literature with an emphasis in Southern literature. He earned an M.A. at the University of Georgia in 1994, where his thesis was "Locating the Other in New Orleans: Southern Post-World War I Cultural Representation in William Faulkner's Absalom, Absalom!, Katherine Anne Porter's Old Mortality, and Tennessee Williams' A Streetcar Named Desire." His doctoral dissertation was a biography of Shelby Foote. His undergraduate work was at Rhodes College in Memphis. Read and reviewed by Jimmie A. Kepler in February 2008.

Mr. Chapman has an uncharacteristic nack for breaking down the complexity of his life in a witty and enormously entertaining way. A gem that should be on the bookshelf of any student of history.

I have to disagree with the earlier, anonymous reviewer who says this book is drivel. I found it an enlightening and well-written book that delivers a non-partisan message, but it is written by someone who truly admires Shelby Foote. What's wrong with that? Foote is a wonderful historian, even though as many have said his volumes on the Civil War tell the story almost entirely as one of big battles and great men.

Chapman does not let his reverence for Foote's writings get in the way of telling a good story. And what a story! He came from the long-ago vanished South of the aristocrats, and along with his boyhood friend Walker Percy, who later became a celebrated novelist, the two of them tracked the changes in Southern society in their novels and other writings. Foote had his faults too, as Chapman notes ruefully: he exaggerated the depth of his friendship with the man he idolized, Nobel winner William Faulkner, who lived but a hundred miles away; he was a womanizer who just couldn't keep it in his pants; his relationship with his daughter Margaret, who became attached to the Seattle rock guitarist Jimi Hendrix, was troubled to the point that he denied they were related; and his position on race relations wasn't a very activist one. Even his relationship with Percy was strained by the two men's seesawing careers and who was up. who was down, at any given moment. The Ken Burns thing happened at exactly the right time for Shelby Foote, and from now on, people would no longer be confusing him with Horton Foote--no relation.

Chapman's "LIFE" makes me curious to see the publication of "TWO GATES TO THE CITY," the novel on which Shelby Foote again and again dashed his hopes, an unconquerable manuscript that was worth its weight in tears. Maybe someday we will see some version of it. Until then, we have all his other books to read and re-read at leisure.

C. Stuart Chapman's biography of the great historian of the Civil War is not worth purchasing. Chapman's great failing is to draw negative conclusions about Foote, as through Chapman's viewing of his subject through the lens of 21st century politics. A press secretary for the leftist Rep. Barbara Lee, Chapman's biography castigates the historian for having failed to offer himself up as a martyr during the Civil Rights struggles of the 50s and 60s. With such a "foundation" set in place, the edifice is not a pretty sight to see (or read).

A distinctively Southern voice explores a distinctively Southern figure in C. Stuart Chapman's portait of Shelby Foote. The book not only places Foote's work in context, it provides a literary glimpse into the South as a whole, not only during the Civil War era of Foote's best known works but the Civil Rights era as well. Foote clearly exemplifies the Burdens of Southern history -- both C. Vann Woodward's and Robert Penn Warren's varieties. Chapman gives us a fascinating look at a complicated man in his place and time.

I am astounded at some of the reviews who said that this book, and it's author, are exploiting the subjects therin. Shelby Adams has gone to great lengths to describe his methods and the families that he photographs - much more transparency and information than I have EVER seen in another documentary photo book. Read it carefully and try to understand it before you come to conclusions....

I was transfixed by the book and could not put it down. Yes, it is disturbing, but y'know, life is like that. This is not a book to be flipped through and returned to the coffee table. This is a book to be chewed and ingested - one that takes some thought and time to experience. If you are ready, come. You won't be disappointed.

A very, very impressive book with a careful view on people that do deserve their place in history and somehow find a way to keep on their sunny side of life. The writings in this book indeed complement the realistic photography in a respectful way, and at no stage did I have the idea that anything or anyone was depicted in a derogatory or otherwise negative manner. Instead, it showed REAL people that may differ from the ones that you encounter in many other environments, but without the obligatory glamour and gloss that society forces onto us.

Today is a great day to stop making judgements.

The few reviews I've read speaking ill of Adam's work are silly. You obviously have not read the text that accompany's the photographs. He does not seek to humiliate or degrade these people. He does not march into their homes "demanding" pictures of them, as one person says. He opens our mind to another way of living. If you look at the photographs and accompanying text, you'll see just the opposite of this negativity that you accuse him of. The depth of this book is wonderful and eye opening.

I grew up in rural Kentucky in an area where conditions were very similar to those in the Appalachian region. My first viewing of this book disturbed and angered me. I asked myself how someone could make a coffee table book out of subject matter which embarassed me because of where I grew up! I knew and grew up with people no different than this and didn't like seeing what I was seeing. It was a bittersweet sensation. It was a paradox for me. On the one hand, I have beautiful memories of growing up in rural Kentucky. On the other hand, I've never been able to figure out how people could live like this. After reading the narrative, searching my soul, and talking with my wife, I realize that these people aren't dissatisfied with life! They live hard lives but still enjoy life just like my family did. We rarely had two dimes to rub together but I was always happy. Life was good. Now this book has a home on my coffee table and I look at it with fond memories and affection for the people who live there.

Anybody really interested in understanding this book should check out a documentary called "True Meaning of Pictures," in which Adams and several Appalachian scholars and art critics debate his pictures in more depth than anybody can do at Amazon.

For my part, I think that for all his great skill as an artist, when you boil it all down, Shelby Lee Adams is a disingenuous and irresponsible photographer who doesn't have the social conscience he says he has. Adams defends his work by saying that these photographs are not meant to be documentary photographs, but "art" and therefore do not have to portray reality. (In fact, the people he portrays are essentially models -- none of these shots were taken spontaneously or "in action." As you can see in the documentary, their postures and expressions were considerably manipulated by Adams.)

Adams has every right to create the kind of art he wishes, but considering the damage that art photographers have done (and still do) to places like Appalachia through their fixation on "artistic" subjects like poverty and industrial dilapidation, you would think that Adams might have had a little more tact and chosen another subject for his art and a less stereotyped setting than Eastern Kentucky.

As an example of the potential impact Adams' photos can have, one of the images in "Appalachian Legacy" depicts a man holding a knife standing next to his mentally-handicapped son. According to the photographer, this is an allegory of God sacrificing his son Jesus. I don't care where you come from or whether you've ever been to Appalachia: the overwhelming majority of people in America viewing this picture for the first time are probably going to think "this is an ignorant hillbilly trying to kill his retarded son." Unless the symbolic connection Adams wants us to make is made, then this picture is not art but a piece of irresponsible photography. If Adams thinks otherwise, then I think he puts too much trust in the average American viewer.

Adams has never deliberately sought to misrepresent the people of Eastern Kentucky (in fact, he is from the region himself and the people in this book are personal friends of his), but that's what he ends up doing. What I doubt isn't Adams' intentions. I doubt his social conscience and his plain common sense. If he really wanted to make an artistic statement about human resilience and the beauty of Appalachia, there is an enormous amount of photographic leg-room room to maneuver in besides doing staged black-and-white character studies of the poorest of the poor, obviously reminiscent of Depression-era photography. I think the kind of social conscience Adams awakens in other people is exactly the kind that Appalachia doesn't need: sympathy. It needs identification and understanding. Adams' photography has just about nothing to do with the grassroots struggle against poverty and miseducation in places like Eastern Kentucky. What Adams is primarily interested in is the visual effect of light on bodies and walls. As an artistic endeavor, that is a perfectly legitimate pursuit, but Adams should have had more tact than to try to achieve it at the expense of Appalachia.

The fact that many people in Appalachia have been outraged by Adams' books ought to tell you something. Cavalier "artistes" from the East Coast and the legion of disembodied museum curators who come to their defence can boo-hoo about Dwight Billings and other people with a real social conscience who dare to criticize one of "their kind". I'd prefer to trust the people who actually live in Appalachia: they're the ones who have to deal with the issues created by Adams. If Adams was photographing an upscale New Jersey suburb full of folks with degrees from Princeton, I wouldn't think twice about calling his photographs great works of art. But he's not. He's photographing Appalachia, and that requires a little more tact.

This novel started out well enough, but then seemed to drift between scenes, some of which seemed a little surreal. It took a while to connect the scenes and characters. This is another indestructable character who seems to stick his nose into various hazards and walk away alive.

Nick Travers becomes involved with an old football buddy who is in hock to an evil loanshark. Things are complicated by money missing from a the trust fund set up for a teenage musician. Travers is trying to get the loanshark off his buddy's back, and trying to track down the missing money.

The novel did not hold my interest very well, and I found myself skimming to get to the end. A lot of wheelers and dealers, some of whom get whacked. There seems to be a lot of name dropping, both people and places.

Dirty South starts out with the premise "What would you do if you only had twenty-four hours to save the life of a friend?" That's the rap teaser. Rhythm and blues takes its time, and unlike rap, it sings about real things. As fictional blues legend JoJo says, "Rap doesn't elevate us...Money, money, money. Trashy women. That's not music. Glorifies people being ignorant. Blues is music."

Tell it to fifteen-year-old rapper named Alias, who started life abandoned by his mother, a drug addict and prostitute and got a dose of reality when his friends conned him. When you come from nothing, become a millionaire with a lakefront mansion in your teens, then have respect, women, money, song and fame yanked away from you because of cross-town rivals, you sing the why-me blues.

JoJo and Ace Atkins's hero, Nick Travers, aren't listening. The old man, who sits nightly drinking beer on his porch with his wife Loretta, waxes cautionary about rap: "That music is against God. Makes thugs into heroes, women into things, and money above all."

This is not just a mystery. Atkins makes this novel about rap sound like a 1930's blues song mourning popular culture, yet acknowledging its siren's smile of groups such as Alias that lures children, rappers and the rap culture are elevated into understanding as opposed to glorification. This mystery sings truth to power.

"'Kids will listen to anything these days. Man, when I was a kid, we all wanted to be Muddy Waters. The way he sang about women and whiskey. Made me want to play that ole blues.'"
"'Not much has changed,' I said."
"'Except plenty," he said. "That music is against God. Makes thugs into heroes, women into things, and money above all.'" (Page 119)


Nick Travers's old friend JoJo doesn't think much of rap music. Neither does Nick but that doesn't stop him from helping his friend and ex New Orleans Saints football teammate Teddy Paris. Teddy has a major problem and will be dead within twenty-four hours if Nick doesn't help. Nick has a history of being able to find things and in this fourth novel (Crossroad Blues, Leavin' Trunk Blues, Dark End of the Street) of the series; he may have finally used up all of his luck.

Teddy Paris has a rap star prodigy working for his label, Ninth Ward Records. As the age of 16, the young star goes by the name of ALIAS. While he might be street wise, he was set up and conned out of more than $700,000. With his company already on the edge of financial collapse, Teddy needs that money back to pay off a cross-town rival who wants ALIAS and his money making income for himself. Teddy is trying desperately to keep ALIAS out of his competitors clutches for business and personal reasons and is also trying to stay alive as the rival has threatened death if he doesn't get his money. So, Teddy needs Nick, who has a few ideas to find and recover the missing money.

Nick has done this sort of thing before by tracking down missing royalty money for some of the old blues singers and this is fairly close to doing that. But normally, he hasn't had this kind of deadline and with no one else to help, Nick never thinks twice but jumps into the mess with both feet. There isn't anything he won't do to help his former teammate and his immediate goal is to buy a little time. He starts looking for the players who took the money along with the reluctant ALIAS. Before long, as secrets are exposed, the trail twists and turns in violent and unexpected ways with the hunters becoming the hunted before a final violent confrontation in speedboats out on Lake Pontchartrain.

As always, Ace Atkins spins a dark tale of greed and murder in and around New Orleans and the Deep South. Unlike James Lee Burke who has written about the same areas, Ace Atkins never sways the reader's focus away from the ugliness by pretty prose concerning flowers, the skies above, or the muddy waters. One isn't given a respite in Atkins' books, as once he draws you into the muck and mire of the human soul, he does not let you go before the last dark page.

The world Nick Travers inhabits while rooted firmly in the present constantly reminds one of the past especially in regards to the music of the blues. Throughout the series, the blues has been a constant companion, if not a character into its own right, and that is true in this novel as well. Through well placed snippets of information, the author and his signature character remind the reader that the rap of today, in all its forms, was built on the back of the blues.

While JoJo and his wife Loretta and a few select others make another reappearance, one gets the feeling that this every well might be the final Nick Travers mystery. A story arc branching across four novels is complete, some loose ends are tied off and by the end, Nick has finally dealt with old ghosts that have bothered him throughout the series. If this is the end, it was one heck of a ride and great knowing you, Nick.


Book Facts:

Dirty South
By Ace Atkins
www.authortracker.com
William Morrow
2004
ISBN # 0-06-000462-2
Hardback

Kevin R. Tipple © 2004

Many authors incorporate music into their books; fewer can write with the rhythms and poetry of music itself. Ace Atkins proves with Dirty South he is one of the latter.

His latest book reads like a blues song brought to life. Moving to a lush, languid beat, it is a raw but fluid journey through the streets of New Orleans and the often troubled lives of his characters.

Of all the day jobs amateur detectives pursue, Nick Travers has perhaps the coolest of all: blues tracker. A former football player now a college professor, Travers spends his time tracking down the dying legends of the blues and recording their artists' stories as part of an oral history project.

All Nick is trying to do this time is help an old teammate who's in some serious money trouble, but he finds himself up to his ankles in alligators, fighting to save both himself and his friend.

Atkins has increased the energy of his plotting in Dirty South, taking Travers on a thrill ride through the ghettos of the Big Easy to the bayous of rural Louisiana. This is a trip you'll want to take.

Since retiring from professional football, former New Orleans Saint Nick Travers has divided his time between teaching blues history at Tulane University, researching an oral history of the blues, and performing favors for friends in trouble, favors which usually place him in grave danger. In this, the fourth book in the series, amateur PI Travers is approached by ex-teammate turned record producer Teddy Paris, and asked to find a con artist who bilked the up and coming young rap star known as ALIAS out of several hundred thousand dollars. Travers proceeds to do what he does best, asking questions that eventually provoke violent responses. His pursuit of the truth leads him to the dark heart of New Orleans, where he witnesses some sad extremes of human behavior from friends and enemies alike.

Reader's reactions to Dirty South may depend on whether they've read previous adventures. For those familiar with the series, the current installment may feel like a holding action, wherein Atkins takes stock and engages in some extended character development, positioning his cast for future stories. For those new to the series, the book might be perceived as a curious hybrid of a Robert B. Parker and a James Burke novel, if only in subject matter and themes. In either case, readers will find themselves in the hands of an accomplished stylist, one whose straightforward, understated prose will transport them from their own milieus to that of modern day New Orleans. They'll also pick up some interesting tidbits about Travers' beloved blues music in the bargain.

This impressive, enjoyable volume represents an ambitious undertaking, as it chronicles the national history of the local kiddie shows that once thrived in every major American television market. Of course, an overview such as this has to cover a lot of ground within certain editorial limits, and various programs, individuals, and cities are dealt with summarily. Many of these subjects also deserve separate, in-depth book-length studies of their own, and perhaps other regional historians will tackle these specific topics in future volumes. However, you can't go wrong with HI THERE, BOYS AND GIRLS! -- the author does an expert, entertaining job of closely examining a form of local TV programming that has regrettably disappeared from the landscape.

Wow! Tim Hollis has created a one-of-a-kind gem. While researching local children's television programs, I stumbled upon this time capsule of lost, but loved local television hosts. A complete pleasure to read, "Hi There Boys and Girls!" makes you long for the days when Old West Sheriffs and Space Commanders ruled the local airwaves. I couldn't be happier with this lucky find.

Very few tv history books have looked at Local Kids shows as an important part of the genre'.Until now,Birmingham,Al.based kids tv historian:Tim Hollis takes a look at this forgoten aspect of tv history.In his second book:"Hi There!:Boys & Girls!".He covers the history of the many children's programs that have entertained and informed young viewers on many tv stations all over this country.

The book looks at the humble beginngs of kids programs from the latter days of radio.To the period before and following
WWII,when tv broadcasts were limited to the early evening hours.
To the first kids shows that were broadcast during the mid to late 1940's and then into the vintage period of local kids shows:The 1950's into the 1960's.

The story continues into the 1970's.As Mr.Hollis looks at the decline of local kids tv(Which was caused by three factions:The introduction of reruns of cartoons and filmed puppet adventure shows from overseas.Which took over the local

live kids shows timeslots,the complaints from parential pressure
groups and from station execs about certain kids tv comedy performers.Who objected to the humor that these biased censors felt were unacceptable to the young viewers and forced the per-
formers off the air and finally.The ruling by Peggy Charren's ACT and other censor groups to force broadcasters to stop using
their local kids tv hosts/performers from promoting questionable
sponsors on their shows and to create,produce and air educational kids tv shows to the speifications of the tv censors).

Some tv stations were able to weather the storm caused by
Mrs.Charren's ACT and continue to create,produce and air fun kids tv shows:WNEW TV Ch.5 continued to present The Bob McCallister Version of"Wonderama"well into the late 1970's,Chief
Traynor Halftown hosted a Saturday morning version of his popular musical/variety kids show on WFIL TV Ch.6 in Philly,Pa. right up to the end of the 20th century and WGN TV Ch.9 Chicago,
Ill.'s"Bozo Show"remained on the air until the circus closed down for good in the summer of 2001.

The era attempted a comeback in the 1980's with the de-
regulation by The Regan admin.Which allowed Broadcasters to do their own tv shows without any interference from the US Government and from Mrs.Charren.

Some kid tv performers of the past:Chuck McCann,"Casey Jones"(Roger Awsumb) and "Cousin Cliff"Holman were able to make a successful comeback during this time.

While "Hi There!:Boys & Girls"doesn't recall all of the local kids tv shows of the past.It does look back at the programs that were popular with many young people from all over the USA and takes a look at the creation,development and the
successful rapport that these many talented,creative and caring
performers and personalities had with their loyal fans and
studio audiences.

The book also has a bibliography ,listing it's research sources(I was one of the contributors of info about The NYC Kids TV Shows)and a collection of rare photos from the many local kids tv shows of the past.

For anyone,who wants to know more about their favorite local kids tv shows and relive the memories of spending time with:"Happy Herb",Carol Corbett,Sally Starr,Johnny Ginger,Chuck McCann,Paul Tripp,Sandy Becker,Cllelan("Axel")Card,"Officer"/"Police Chief Joe"Bolton,Herb Sheldon,"Bozo","Johnny Jellybean"(Bill Britten And Keith Hefner),"Uncle Joe"Bova,"Uncle Al"Lewis,"Skipper Frank"Herman,"Pandora", "Woodrow The Woodsman"(The Late Clay Conroy),"Harlow Hickenlooper"(Hal Fryer),"Chucko The Clown"(Charlie Runyon)"Andy Starr"(Bob Bell),"Skipper Chuck"Zink,"Capt.Jet"(Stan Sawyer,Joe Silver And Dal McKennon),Sonny Fox,"Carmen The Nurse"(Mary Davies),"Captain Allen"Swift,"The Merry Mailman"(Ray Heatherton)"Cousin Cliff"Holman,Soupy Sales,"DJ Kat"and Ray Forrest?

This is the one book to have this Christmas/Hanakah!

Bravo Tim!

(...)

I cannot understand the sort of reviewers who rush to point out tiny omissions in otherwise exhaustive studies, particularly in the area of popular culture. Some of them apparently are actually paid to do so, and in my view they have watched too much Watergate and Sixty Minutes. For example, Ira Gallen dug up all the old commercials he showed on his retro New York TV show; contrary to the general view, advertisers didn't keep the reels after the commercials ran, and in compiling his collections, Gallen was plowing new territory. Relative to, say, dinosaurs, radio and TV have only been with us for a short while and it's all been about making it up as you go along.

That TV broadcasting began as local programming, and then mostly in New York, is extremely significant but often overlooked by those looking backwards with modern lenses. Shows were owned by ad agencies and developed for sponsors, not networks. Jay Ward's Crusader Rabbit and cliff-hangers like Col. Bleep and Clutch Cargo were the only early TV cartoons before the syndication of Looney Tunes, Merrie Melodies and Terrytoons and the entrance of William Hanna and Joe Barbera into TV 'toons with Ruff and Reddy.

Early TV carried over from radio and the triple reel style of the moviehouse, which would generally show a cartoon or short and newsreel along with the featured films. Live hosts were expected to pitch and endorse the sponsor's product and, whether clown, cowboy or cosmic captain, to intersperse the performance and patter with cartoons. The demise of the live host came when the few bad apples began to hold the studios for ransom. Execs soon realized they could order cartoons by the foot to fill the programming blocks. Eventually the insatiable appetite for cartoons ballooned Hanna- Barbera into a behemoth cartoon factory with shows running on all three networks, with a bust following that boom and a decline in quality in the 'seventies and 'eighties, only to be regained after the success of Who Framed Roger Rabbit and the cartoon renaissance of the 'nineties.

TV now is like wallpaper that viewers can change at whim, and animation so ubiquitous, good, bad and ugly, viewed as it is as fodder for kids, or more recently, as an "extreme" way to jazz up overdone to death "adult" programming, that its freshness is nearly gone. The current audience expectation of endless entertainment served up in spoon-sized doses masks for instance, the amount of homework done by Paul Reubens in reviving for Pee-Wee's Playhouse the local feel of live host TV.

Opening with a brief history, Hollis follows with a discussion of shows in every state of the union. Bits may be missing, but the hosts I remember from growing up in Seattle-- J. P. Patches and Stan Boreson-- were among those present. More fascinating is reading about the hosts I didn't see, which cartoons they had in common and the like. Travel back, then, to the days of its inception, when local TV was the only game in town, with live hosts who cared about kids (and some who didn't) making it up as they went along.

This book was so much fun to read! I can't believe all the info Hollis was able to uncover. His passion for the subject of kids shows is obvious, as is his excellent and humorous writing style. The book is a must for every 'kid' over the age of 35 who grew up watching TV. All of us can find a pleasant memory or two here. It's fascinating to read about the origins of these shows, and sadly, their demise. There is something here for either the nostalgia or history buff.

An enjoyable read and journey down the river. Thought it was going to be a day to day river trip but was more. Almost put the book away after first few chapters but am glad I didn't . Enjoyed his look at life, himself and people along the river. Race added another dimension to a tough journey. But i was left with a good feeling when done. Nice life lessons scattered thru-out the book.

This book is a little tedious. Author seems to be caught up in making himself out to be a hero, whereas there is no deep contact with life; with other people. What strives to be insight seems shallow as the main character has rapid, passing interactions with dozens of people; would have you think that in 5 minutes one is able to sum up the character of a person or place. Reflections about self seem like overly self-focused ramblings.

A very relaxing read. Never before have I read a book of true life that was so well-paced and soothing. Harris writes as the river flows: gentle to rough, lucid to terse. With a great sense of personal respect to the reader, "Mississippi Solo" is ther perfect read for anyone who wants to take a vacation in the theatre of the mind. An excellent book for travellers and a must have summer read.

I bought this book to read on a business trip that involved cross country flights. Did not read it on the trip. Started it the night I got back and read half of it when I really should have been sleeping. Finished it the next night. He transforms and you want to see it happen. He has doubts about completing his trip and you want to see if he will finish it. He has his troubles and you want to see if they get worse. You want to know more about the people he meets. Sometimes he says twice things that he could say once, but it's ok because it moves along. There is some historical perspective, some thoughts on racism, not too much. I would have liked to know more about what he brought with him and what he really needed, but he's not that kind of outdoor guy. He says at the end that his back was never the same. Was there something he could have done to avoid that? He does not say. It's ultimately ok because he sticks to the narrative and that holds your interest.

I bought a copy of this book after my own canoe trip down the Mississippi. It was fascinating to compare the experiences of Mr. Harris to my own.

The writing is perceptive, insightful, and entertaining. His observations of the people he met along the river, and himself, come across as very honest. He doesn't portray himself as a hero or an expert, but as the person he really is. His dedication to completing the journey is tenuous, but his appreciation for the lasting value of the experience is sincere.

His perceptions on racial issues were objective and refreshing. Although he had preconceived notions on what he might encounter, (a black man in Nordic northern Minnesota and later in the Deep South) he judged people based on how they treated him, and the vast majority of people treated him with kindness and respect.

His descriptions of the river, towns, weather and scenery are also enjoyable, and the hardships and joys are described with equal eloquence.

I was impressed how such a greenhorn of an outdoorsman would have the boldness to tackle such an adventure. My only disappointment with the book is when he skipped some parts of the river. It was his journey to make, however, and he is honest about any shortcuts he took.

In short, this is a great book. It is worth reading to experience the journey vicariously and for the writing itself. You won't be disappointed.

What an amazing read! I was glued to the pages of this book like a mystery reader. Growing up in the late 60's and early 70's Disneyland Records was a pivotal part of almost any person's childhood. This book is one of the most thorough comprehensive journeys in the creation, growth, and current children's/adult contemporary recording company. The reader is plummeted into the world of; Disney, Camarata,Annette Funicello, Louis Prima, Haley Mills, Phil Harris; and well loved voice talents such as Thurl Ravenscroft, Paul Frees, Pete Renaday, Cliff Edwards (a.k.a. Jiminy Cricket, Sterling Halloway (Winnie-the-Pooh) and more. In this day and age of DVD, Compact Disc and High Definition there's still a charm and warmth about plopping the needle down on a 40 year old vinyl album and being treated to some now heard rarities. I've been recently transferring many vinyls to my IPOD and this book has been a great reference. Readers also may want to look into The Golden Age of Walt Disney Records 1933 - 1988 by Murray, R. Michael.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. One of my hobbies is collecting Disney records, so this was perfect.

This book definetly brings back childhood memories for me.
I used to have a collection of Disneyland book and records.Plus I always wondered what Robie Lester and Lois Lane actually looked like.(And why they each had their own version of Tinker Bell's little bells.)

A must for any nostalgia buff!

The recording end of Walt Disney Productions hasn't really been given the short shrift--in 1997, R. Michael Murray put together a wonderful pricing guide for Disneyland and Buena Vista's musical output that fills in a lot of gaps left behind here. Still, authors Tim Hollis and Greg Ehrbar do a fine job at bringing forth the personalities and histories of many Disney singers who weren't usually credited on record labels, and these talents are worth re-discovering. Some of the basic information regarding certain albums is treated too blithely (and often, a description or detail seems wrong, as when they say Annette's first solo album was on the Disneyland label...it was if you count "Songs from Annette & The Walt Disney Serials", which wasn't an Annette album per se). And too often the authors write off an album's success by saying "million of copies were sold". How many millions? Did the record chart in Billboard? Did it spawn any singles? Apparently, 45rpm singles were the bane of the early recording industry, and the authors pretty much dismiss their importance; however, that doesn't excuse the omittance of chart information, even on some of the more popular titles. Did any of Annette's albums chart, and, if not, what kept the Disney brass interested in her as an albums artist? There is wonderful background information on unsung heroes such as Bob Grabeau, Teri York, Robie Lester and Ginny Tyler, but the writers couldn't come up with ANYthing substantial on the Sylte Sisters or the Vonnair Sisters? The early Disney recordings via the Hansen label, 78rpm artists like William Lava, the 'Zorro' records and 'The Scarecrow of Romney Marsh', are almost completely forgotten, which makes this NOT the definitive book on the subject. It's a nice beginning, how about a second volume?

This book tells the story of Walt Disney Records, formerly known as Disneyland Records and Buena Vista Records. The record company is one aspect of the Disney empire that hasn't been extensively covered before, so there is a lot of information here that you probably haven't read before. The book does a very good job of telling the record company's story, giving credit to some talented people who deserve to be remembered. Disney fans should read this book.

All the kids were gone and I decided to grab a book and read. Well this is the perfect book for just relaxing and enjoying. The stories were so real that they just took me back to where he was.

It's pouring down rain outside and the house is empty except for the dog and myself. I grabbed this book and didn't stop until I closed the cover. Good passtime. The story is real and the people are personable. This is the kind of story that can take you back to the good ole days.

This is a wonderful book. It is a storyteller's book: handcrafted by the teller to reflect HIS story.

I've read critical comments about the book and Taulbert himself that belittle either or both because they do not decry segregation or prejudice enough. Such commentators miss the major point. I don't see how anyone can read about young Taulbert and the injustices he suffered silently without being outraged and moved to change things. The Mississippi Delta apartheid was not a society Taulbert chose, but one in which he was raised. His story is about his life, not politics per se.

I recently heard Taulbert speak. He is as impressive in person as he is as a youngster in this book.

You will be richer for reading this book. I gave it 4-stars only because it is not intellectual on the surface and in that regard may not fulfill a certain challenge some of us expect in a book. Nonetheless, read this book. It is really a wonderful read that takes you to a past and a geographic spot not often visited.

Clifton Taulbert gives me hope and inspiration as writer -- his words are so carefully crafted, his view of the world is sincere and filled with an uplifting vision. His vivid description leads me to believe that even in the midst of the chaos and destruction we now inhabit, humanity may yet find a path to a better world. He is a truly inspiring writer; this is a truly inspiring book!

Humans have the amazing ability to make any experience mean whatever we want to us. Wether or not an experience is positive or negative, real or imagined, is almost irrelevant to how we perceive that experience. In the book "When We Were Colored", the author proves this assertion. Despite a plethora of dehumanizing situations and experiences, Clifton Taulbert still manages to paint his childhood as a beautiful succession of events teaching him how to reach his dreams and succeed. That his upbringing served him well and Mr. Taulbert succeeded is clear. However, what is not discussed, but is painfully evident, is the real reason for his success. Although Mr. Taulbert's childhood gave him the tools he needed to succeed in life, the main way that it did so was by instructing him in how to be a "good Negroe", also referred to as an "Uncle Tom."

This is the kind of book I used to read in the summer lying on the porch swing. I welcome this book. It's under 300 pages. It's well-edited. It's thoughtful and nicely written.
It takes place in Mississippi in 1943.
It cuts across racial, economic, and political lines.
This is not just about the German prisoners captured in north Africa who are brought in to pick cotton. It is about all the people in this small rural area who, in one way or another, have been deeply affected by the war. Both touching and horrifying, if you allow yourself some introspection, you'll absorb the loneliness, enormous grief, and genuine simplicity of expectation.

I stumbled upon this novel accidentally while I was reading reviews here on Amazon, one of my favorite sources of good "unknowns." This story revolves around a POW camp for German prisoners in the southern U.S. during WWII, but the title really doesn't refer to these foreigners at all. Instead, the "prisoners" are the just-back-from-the-battlefield American soldier who's having difficulty keeping it together, the eager seventeen year old high school boy who isn't allowed to enlist until his 18th birthday, the boy's late father who committed suicide after struggling with his own WWI memories, the African American teenager who's evading the draft because he doesn't want to fight the white man's war, etc. An interesting way to look at war, neither pacifist nor militarist, just the story of how people's lives are impacted by conflict. Mr. Yarbrough's prose has a rhythm that takes a little getting used to, but ultimately a very satisfying read here.

This novel was a quiet pleasure to read. It took me a little while to figure it out, but Yarbrough is an extremely funny writer. He infuses what is a tale of difficult times and a troubling situation with easy wit. It's mostly character-driven. His characters speak with a natural, Southern grace, a sort of self-deprecating humor that also manages to be a tool for character development. Really well done. I think this is one of those books that is a lot better, and probably a lot more difficult to write, than you might think at first glance.

I'm glad to have learned about the POW camps in the South during WWII. I hadn't known about these before, but setting this novel in them allows for a complex examination of race in America. It's also a novel about partriatism, bravery or cowardice, and about how people betray the best and worse in their natures when challenged to do so. But again, Yarbrough doesn't beat you over the head with anything. There are very few cardboard good and bad characters here.

I picked this up because I noticed it was a Pen/Faulkner Award nominee. This is one instance when I was pleasantly surprised. Honestly, I've read most of the other PW nominees for 2004, but this one may be my favorite from that list.

Changes made through the eyes of both white and black doing the war in a small Mississippi town. German prisoners are brought to a small Mississippi town and the events that take place also open some of the eyes in town about black and white. Dan Timms a white man with the same job as L.C. Stevens a black man driving a converted bus that sells a little of this and that, a small store on the move. Dan Yearns also comes into the picture when he joins the army to run away from the memories of his fathers suicide. The book has many small town people and how their lives seem to be changing with the war and in their own home town. A very well written book on the feelings of the south and how events can change thinking along with actions. Larry Hobson -Author- The Day Of The Rose

The wreckage of armed conflict litters the landscape of fictional Loring, Mississippi, in Steve Yarbrough's courageous and cautionary, "Prisoners of War." The novel's title is an apt one, and German POW's are not the only people held captive by the ravages of war. Dan Timms, not quite eighteen and chomping at the bit for his own involvement in World War II, possesses an innocence which shields him not only from the pernicious impact the previous world war had on the town but also inhibits his understanding of the subtle, but pervasive corruption, rampant in his community. Timms' struggle for emotional independence stands in bleak contrast to the ubiquitous pessimism and despair elsewhere.

Yarbrough presents several provocative theses about human behavior in "Prisoners," the most interesting of which posits that people have long outlived the moment of their deaths. Many of Yarbrough's characters are examples of the "living dead," wounded souls going through the motions of life until a climactic moment extinguishes them forever. The belligerent racist, Frank Holder, exemplifies this quality. Angry, bewildered and resentful over his enlisted son's untimely death, Holder's need for vengeance against a nameless, unconquerable force, extinguishes whatever limited capabilities he had to function as a decent man.

Dan's father and uncle fall victim to the same disability, but present different symptoms. World War I devoured Jimmy Del Timms, Dan's father. Cynical, uncommunicative and numbed, Dan's father stumbles through post-traumatic stress and suffers a disintegrating family. Jimmy Del's brother, Alvin, has betrayed conscience and community with his actions; aware of his own decadence, Alvin shrugs his shoulders at his own stench and revels in his role as a war profiteer.

Yarbrough presents the debasement of personality in times of extreme stress as a corollary to his central thesis. Even the German POW's, whose presence as seemingly tractable field laborers mollifies the struggling cotton farmers of the area, display a corrosion of the spirit. They secretively and ineptly plan an escape and turn on one of their own when the plot is foiled. Dan's mother, Shirley, is a ruin as a consequence of her failed marriage and her own moral short-circuiting. His longstanding friend, Marty Stark, has returned from the front torn asunder by moral doubt and loss of ethical standards.

Despite the abundance of evil and indifference in "Prisoners of War," our capacities to endure and be good appear. L. C., Dan's African-American friend, suffers through a horrific beating, forgiving the perpetrator, understanding his "blues." But these illuminating moments of goodness are few and far between. Steve Yarbrough intent is to tear away the veneer of civilization that covers us and to show the true grain of our personality. His novel is a towering success, elegantly crafted, precisely detailed and psychologically valid.