Delaware County District Library

South to America, a journey below the Mason-Dixon to understand the soul of a nation, Imani Perry

eng

contains biographical information

index present

non fiction

South to America

Imani Perry

a journey below the Mason-Dixon to understand the soul of a nation

The idiosyncrasies, dispositions, and habits of the South are stranger and more complex than much of the country tends to acknowledge. Perry shows that an understanding of its history and culture is the key to understanding the nation as a whole. Sharing her thoughts about a troubled history and the ritual humiliations and joys that characterize so much of Southern life, Perry asserts that if we want to build a more humane future for the United States, we must center our concern below the Mason-Dixon line. -- adapted from jacket

Introduction -- Origin stories. An errand into wilderness: Appalachia ; Mother country: Virginia ; Animated roulette: Louisville ; Mary's land: Annapolis and the caves ; Ironic capital: Washington, DC -- The solidified South. The clearing: upper Alabama ; Tobacco Road in the Bible Belt: North Carolina ; King of the South: Atlanta ; More than a memorial: Birmingham ; Pearls before swine: Princeton to Nashville ; When Beale Street talks: Memphis ; Soul of the South: the Black Belt - Water people. Home of the flying Africans: the Low Country ; Pistoles and flamboyán: Florida ; Immobile women: Mobile ; Magnolia graves and Easter lilies: New Orleans ; Paríso: the Bahamas and Havana -- Conclusion

Journey below the Mason-Dixon to understand the soul of a nation