Minding the South.Minding the South. By John Shelton Reed. (Columbia and London: University of Missouri Press The University of Missouri Press, founded in 1958, is a university press that is part of the University of Missouri System. External link
, c. 2003. Pp. xvi, 291. Paper, $24.95, ISBN ISBN abbr. International Standard Book Number ISBN International Standard Book Number ISBN n abbr (= International Standard Book Number) → ISBN m 0-8262-1490-8.) I was reluctant to review this book because the author is a special friend. But as the managing editor of this journal pointed out, "if we excluded all John Reed's friends, there wouldn't be many left to review it." He is right. In person and through his work, John Shelton Reed has created a circle of friends and admirers that is the envy of most folks working in the field. And if there are any left outside, looking in, this book will bring them into the fold. Scholars whose articles and essays create bodies of work coherent enough to be collected into books might consider their careers successful. Two compilations would be exceptional. This is Professor Reed's sixth. As with the others, this collection represents Reed's ongoing quest to understand and explain the South. It also reveals how much he enjoys what he does. From essays on how "outsiders" try to deconstruct de·con·struct tr.v. de·con·struct·ed, de·con·struct·ing, de·con·structs 1. To break down into components; dismantle. 2. Dixie to an explanation of why he took this as his life's work, the book is crammed full of wisdom and wit. A gentle curmudgeon cur·mudg·eon n. An ill-tempered person full of resentment and stubborn notions. [Origin unknown.] cur·mudg (most of the time), he pokes holes in hypocrisy and flabby thinking, while praising those who deserve it. From his thoughtful essays on C. Vann Woodward and Eugene D. Genovese Eugene Dominic Genovese (born May 19, 1930) is a noted historian of the American South and American slavery. Genovese was born in Brooklyn and was awarded a BA from the Brooklyn College in 1953, a MA from Columbia University in 1955, and a PhD in 1959. to lighthearted observations on southern humor, neo-Confederatism, Elvis, Yankees, and such, John Reed reveals himself as a scholar to be reckoned with and a commentator to be enjoyed. The titles of the essays are enough to pull readers into the book: "American Weed," "Of Collard Greens Noun 1. collard greens - kale that has smooth leaves collards cole, kail, kale - coarse curly-leafed cabbage and Kings," "The End of Elvis," and "The Banner That Won't Stay Furled furl v. furled, furl·ing, furls v.tr. To roll up and secure (a flag or sail, for example) to something else. v.intr. To be or become rolled up. n. 1. " are just a few. Who would not want to read these? And then there are "Brits and Grits," "Among the Baptists," and one of the best ever, "Our Kind of Yankee," which contains Reed's observations on New York and New Yorkers in the wake of September 11, 2001. The title, Minding the South, is more than a play on the title of W. J. Cash's tome. And it is more than the process of thinking about Dixie, though Reed does a lot of that here. Minding means, as most of us know, looking after, watching, and my favorite, taking care of. That is what John Shelton Reed has made his mission--taking care of the South. And the South could not have asked for a better caretaker. These essays are both timed and timeless. Timed because they are products of a man and his era. They are his thoughts, shaped by what was happening to him when he wrote them. Timeless because they offer a historical perspective on the region and its people. This is a fine book. And I would say that even if I did not like the man. Jacksonville State University Jacksonville State University is a public university serving Northeast Alabama on a 459 acre (0 km) campus with 58 buildings in Jacksonville, Alabama which is in the Appalachian foothills of northeast Alabama. HARVEY H. JACKSON |
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