Georgia Books

After reading this book, one becomes aware of the importance of boundaries in nineteenth-century southern society. These boundaries include those between blacks and whites, master and slave, men and women, rich and poor, and public and private. The respective essays in this book deal with those boundaries--the way they were constructed, contested, and often breached as the uneasy relationship between race and law developed in nineteenth-century South. They do so, however, at the local level, which adds a degree of richness and textuality to the story. By focusing on the local level, the contributors to this volume show that the relationship between race and law was indeed a "local matter" which was an active, everyday matter for individuals and communities who maintained and challenged the boundaries of race through law.

The most important boundaries in the antebellum South were those between public and private life, and master and slave. The essay by Sally Hadden discusses the case of "State v. Mann" in North Carolina. In this case, Justice Thomas Ruffin sympathized with abused and murdered slaves but upheld the idea that government could not interfere with the private lives of slave owners, which threatened to unsettle the power relationship between master and slave.

Many readers should find the overriding focus on "local matters" enjoyable. Arelia Gross's essay on Natchez, Mississippi, for example, reveals important connections between the courthouse and the slave auction block, both of which stood as opportunities for white men to display their sense of honor, which was directly tied to their status as slave-owners. By focusing on more local contexts, the book's contributors are able to provide richly-researched essays that give the story of race and law concrete meaning and everyday implications.

While the essays in this book are arranged in rough chronological order, the themes in the essays overlap in many cases, making the volume a rich resource for both scholars and the general public. Readers should gain an appreciate for the historical developments involving race and law in the nineteenth century after readings this volume. It is an insightful volume, one that shows how power was created and challenged in a system of racial oppression sanctified by law. All of the essays are well-researched and well-written, and give readers solid analysis of the culture of race and law.

Impressively detailed account of the life of one of America's great southern writers.

In her lifetime, Carson McCullers was many things to many people, and the conflicting accounts are fascinating. She could be very charming and attentive, a soft-spoken original with deeply engaging, large eyes. But she was a difficult friend to many, becoming obsessively clingy and demanding of attention. A bitch and an angel; as unshakably sulky or as light-hearted as a child. Her hair she always carefully brushed, and yet sometimes she wore outfits so outlandish, she was mistaken for a tramp. (that's hobo, not slut). She was a sensitive and imaginative author who touched many hearts with her unsentimental writings about human longing.

Reading this book has been a strange ride. As impartial as the text is, it is next-to-impossible to avoid getting emotional as the reader, as I will explain in a moment.

The biographer has done a fantastic job of getting those who knew Carson to come forward with their various memories. It is very well-written, with family trees, thorough footnotes, many voices, interesting photos, an appendix consisting of summarized events in McCullers' life, and an excellent index. A generally well-edited and constructed biography, I find no fault with the biographer. It's the life of Carson McCullers that is so twisted and sour. That said, there are fun stories about living with Gypsy Rose Lee and of staying at Yaddo, the famous writers' retreat. But Carson's life was not easy. Tales of her drinking and near-delusional imagination, of her horrendous fights with husband Reeves McCullers, of lingering ill health, and of her leeching on friends has made reading this quite impartial book a considerably saddening adventure. Nestled in the text is the rather interesting nugget stating that, soon after McCullers hit the literary big time with her The Heart is a Lonely Hunter, she was told during a psychiatric Rorschach evaluation that if her neuroses were to be cured, she would lose her ability to write so sensitively. (!)

Increasingly, McCullers lived her life with a disturbing mix of exaggerated suffering, of need and meanness, along with what the biographer saw as an irresistible love of love itself. But this reviewer is sure that some of her friends must have felt like flies caught in a puddle of spilt honey.

It has been interesting to read about how McCullers worked, and how she drew inspiration from real life events, acquaintances and their own tales. This haunting biography could be of interest to other writers, if only as a kind of caveat. The thoroughness of Carr's work allows an observant reader to glean lessons about the power of the human spirit and the destructiveness of the attitude that insanity fuels talent.

I am an extensive user of travel guides, particularly ones for travelers on a budget. The Lonely Planet books have the same budget travel info on hotels, airline travel, how to get around by bus, train, etc. that my other favorite series, "Let's Go" has. However, you don't get to learn as much history and culture in the Let's Go books like you do in Lonely Planet. Let's Go is more of a reference book. Lonely Planet teaches you local culture and has much more comprehensive coverage of the region, especially this one-the Carolinas and Georgia. Let's Go doesn't give North and South Carolina nearly as much justice as this Lonely Planet book. Let's Go never mentions the Triad or Wilmington, NC. Lonely Planet has a good section on those. This book makes the least-heralded travel destinations look interesting. This series is also updated an average of every two years, and they welcome input from readers and they use it for the next edition.

This book has an entire section on Atlanta, including a set of very good maps and a MARTA map. You will do well in Atlanta with this book. Charleston and Myrtle Beach, and somewhat of Columbia, SC are well documented, and the up-country of Greenville/Spartanburg are represented. In North Carolina, you'll learn about the Triangle, Charlotte, the Western NC mountain region, and all the beach areas from top to bottom. Georgia has the entire state covered, even the mountain areas of the northeastern part of the state, where there are some excellent state parks, and of course, the southern end of the Appalachian Trail. You will also get to explore Savannah, Augusta, Hilton Head, and much more. There is a good deal of info in the book, and it isn't overbearing to find your way around in it.

Very good information for international travelers from abroad as well. For those of you who visit our area and have never been to the South before, you'll get a handy primer on its eccentricities and its triumphs, as well as how to get along with the most genteel and aristocratic of Southern ladies and gentlemen.

This beautifully-produced historical account of the tobacco industry in the Pee Dee region of SC stayed in the pile of books on my bedside table for about a month before it finally cycled to the top. Having received the book as a present, I was mildly curious when I picked it up. "OK," I thought, as I began what I believed would be, at best, a cursory examination, "it's a history book." What a pleasant surprise I received! I was immediately drawn in to the story by the eloquent writing style of the authors and the appropriate use of southern expressions. I felt as if I was experiencing the frustration and the joy of the tobacco farmers as they labored to bring in the crop in this unique region of the country. I found each of the illustrations in the book to be clearly presented and to closely fit the part of the story being told. Within a short period of time after beginning my reading, I began going to bed early to allow myself more reading time. Since I only adopt that reading behavior for the page-turners, I knew then I was hooked! My interest continued right on through the cogent explanation of the structure of the tobacco-subsidy system and finally to the conclusion and the insightful comments of the authors regarding the future of the tobacco industry. I wish to thank Prince & Simpson for their intelligent coverage of a complex part of American culture. I strongly recommend this book for anyone interested in real southern culture, and not that fake, hick Hollywood version so often portrayed in movies, and for anyone interested in really knowing what the tobacco industry is about.

This is a derivative work which is most enjoyable if one has a tiny bit of knowledge about De Soto. For budding De Soto enthusiasts, Looking For De Soto is a must read.

Joyce Rockwood Hudson has written a lively and entertaining account of a six-week vacation she and her husband took in November-December 1984 where they followed the sixteenth century explorer De Soto's trail through the southeastern United States.

You have to love people who shun the cruise ships and Disneyworld and Madison Avenue in order to tromp around in the mud of backwater swamps while on vacation.

One might reasonably ask, who is this lady, and why should we care? She is the wife of noted anthropology professor Charles Hudson, and we should care because Professor Hudson has set forth an alternative route for the De Soto expedition, differing in important ways from the route as determined by the Swanton Commission (published by Smithsonian Press, 1939).

The issue has not been settled - that of De Soto's precise route - but Professor Hudson's theories are interesting and taken seriously by academia as well as people such as myself who enjoy visiting historic places.

If you are lost, don't feel alone. So are the Hudsons. That's the point. No one really knows where De Soto went, exactly, but the author ignites interest. She also describes in an engaging way a portion of the field work conducted while on "vacation", adding weight to Professor Hudson's theories.

And remember, folks, this is only one theory of many. That's most of the fun. Those of us who consider ourselves southerners can relate. It is sort of like arguing whether Alabama's football team is number one, or Georgia's or Florida's...

Only this stuff happened four hundred and fifty years ago, and the debate rages.

These Conquistador fellows didn't ask for directions, they just snatched the first native American that came along and clapped him in chains if he didn't speak right up.

Mrs. Hudson keeps you moving right along, with interesting detours about pecans, zinc mining, salt making, etc. She writes clearly, has a keen eye for the absurd, and knows how to deliver a punch line. I'm still laughing over the French colonial town of Smackover. I would also imagine that if you poke too many holes in her husband's theories, she might chew off your ear. A stand up lady.

One or two fly specks in the book. A map comparing Hudson and Swanton routes would have helped enormously. You'll find yourself sorting through the Atlas and a dusty copy of the Swanton report. The author also fails to mention the name of a good rib place in Memphis. Unconscionable. The Afterword updates the reader on happenings through 1992, when the book was published.

I thoroughly enjoyed the book. I wish De Soto would have had someone like Joyce Rockwood Hudson along. Even epic tales of death, disease, despair, and war require the female touch.

Loosening Corsets is the amazing true story of one Rebecca Latimer Felton, a woman who fought for women's rights in the state of Georgia for more than sixty years and became - at the age of eighty seven - the first woman senator of the United States. Rebecca's courageous and relentless battle against prevailing repression and injustice make this book a page-turner of a different kind - compelling and powerful.

A wonderful and important regional American history book. Details the pristine coastal areas of Georgia with a facsinating history of the area from pirate and missionary days to the 20th century.

I enjoyed this book very much. It is a sweet story about a young woman who wants to be loved for her. Not just because she is beatiful. Shanon wants to to be loved for who she is not who her mo wants her to be. She meets Judd and begins to fall in love. I loved the sweet and simple plot to this story.

This is the 2nd edition, and is just as good as the first. Great for reading, the recipes are wonderful and this is a great book. I have visited several of the towns and after reading the update, want to return and spend more time in each of them, and especially try out the restaurants mentioned.

if anyone ever considers visiting this area, this book is a great wayt to remember it. much better photos than you will be able to take and very nice writing.
when in Charleston eat at Hymans, Saltus River grill in Beaufort, and El Pasticcio in Savannah.