Will I love South to America?

Growing up in the South and having a penchant for writing about racial justice, genealogy, travel, truth-telling, and more, this book is among the top ones on my favorite list. The South is more complicated than many think. Along with the racists and bigots, there are plenty of really smart people who are progressive and thoughtful. Good writers sprout like the wild primroses in Alabama. I liked how Perry stirs together history with her travels and her own dear ancestors.

Perry starts her explorations with Harper’s Ferry, which brought back my vivid memories of its spectacular scenery. It still holds… show more.

Be ready for a tourist ride to the ghostly pasts of Appalachia, Louisville, Atlanta, Birmingham, Nashville, Memphis, Mobile, New Orleans, and Havana.

Perry brings us the present vitality of each location and then shows how the spirit of place has deep sources in America’s complex and contentious history of race. Another National Book Award Winner, South to America showcases Perry’s gifts as both historian and poet crafting a prose that hums and sings on each page.