Southern Culture—An Introduction

This well-written and thoughtful book introduces the history of Southern US cultures. It succeeds in several complex tasks. Non-Southern readers will gain an idea of the region's identity and the pressures that have shaped it, while Southern readers will find information and ideas that respect their intelligence and identity. Scholarly readers will be satisfied by the book's research and integration of details into larger concepts; popular readers will also be satisfied by its expression of those ideas in an easy, elegant prose. The book avoids political polemics, and seeks neither to praise nor condemn; it affirms that the history of slavery and the dynamics of gender, race, religion, and politics are all key to Southern identities. It provides enough breadth to function as a survey, with enough depth to not seem rushed or sketchy. It respects the integrity of black cultures beyond white views of them, without simplifying the complex dynamics of relationship both within and between groups. It will be of interest to a wide range of readers, and useful for introductory college courses in the social sciences and humanities. Annotation c2012 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

John Beck is an Adjunct Assistant Professor of History at Elon University and former Dean of Arts and Sciences at Vance-Granville Community College in North Carolina. Wendy Frandsen is the program head of and instructor in the English Department at Vance-Granville Community College in North Carolina. Aaron Randall is Program Head and an Instructor in the Sociology Department at Vance-Granville Community College in North Carolina.