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judyward's review against another edition
4.0
After waking up one morning at his Virginia home to the sounds of a Civil War reenactment, Tony Horwitz launches a search to find out how the Civil War is viewed and remembered in the American South. In his quest, he spent time with a band of really hard-core Confederate reenactors who went on crash diets to get the authentic look of starved soldiers who had been on lengthy campaigns. He also attended a Ku Klux Klan rally in Kentucky, an American history class in Selma, Alabama, and traveled from Antietam to Gettyburg, to Appomattox (a Civil Wargasm) with his friend, Robert Lee Hodge. Along his year-long investigation, he examined how the Civil War is remembered among white Southerners and African-Americans in that region. A funny, moving, and heartwarmingly informative book.
dja777's review against another edition
4.0
Interesting book, but kind of depressing, too. I feel like I live in an entirely different world than where this book takes place.
jdsatori's review against another edition
3.0
scary, hilarious, and fascinating. horowitz travels around the south, interviewing confederate civil war role-players. in between are all the stories i keep telling y'all about the asshole rednecks who are still alive and well in the south.
kfshovlin's review against another edition
5.0
I thoroughly enjoyed Midnight Rising about John Brown’s raid on Harpers Ferry, so I figured I’d enjoy this as well. The nuance and character of the people the author interviewed made this book far more enlightening. While it may have seemed like a subset of the population when this book was release 25 years ago, it’s now much easier to how we’ve gotten to where the US is now. If you read this book prior to 2010 or 2016, bows a good time to read it again. This book does a better job of showing the seams of division we have today than Vance’s Hillbilly Elegy or similar books.
shereadsspice8's review against another edition
3.0
This book was really eye opening. Many of the "facts" that you hear about the Civil War are actually fictional. This book goes along with Tony's journey to seek the truth about the war and experience the war from both sides. I didn't expect to really find the book interesting but it was really engrossing.
mlottermoser's review against another edition
2.0
I haven't read a lot of non-fiction history books in my day. I recognize that this a fault in my reading habits. But it is difficult to read a deep novel when you have a young child who seems to need almost constant attention. As a reader I struggled with the dense text. I was left feeling there was no strong story arc. I found this book dull and didn't really care for the way it was organized. I would much rather read a book that flows clearly and draws me in deeply.
I think my next attempt at a historical book will be Unbroken or 1776. Do you have a recommendation?
I think my next attempt at a historical book will be Unbroken or 1776. Do you have a recommendation?
megmro's review against another edition
4.0
An entertaining and fascinating study on the longevity and ambiguity of cultural symbols like the confederate flag. Makes me want to review the war chronologically, any good book suggestions for an accurate and perhaps concise account of the civil war?