I read this fascinating book in January to March 2017. I have read a lot of books about the Civil War and according to my Good Reads data that number would be 30 books. This one was a little different in that it was about people today who's lives are devoted to hardcore reenacting battles of the Lost Cause, protecting symbols of the Confederacy and rallying people to the Ku Klux Klan in preparation of a coming race war. He explores how some people are still living the Civil War in the Blue State - Red State culture war thing.
This was an interesting blend of history and journalism that explores the mythic South and some weird dark romance with the Civil War from a bunch of racists losers. I wanted to read this book after seeing the controversies developing around the attempts around the country to remove monuments to the traitors who fought against America to preserve slavery. This is the worst of Southern Culture.
During my years in the Navy I spent a lot of time with Southern guys. In fact most of the sailors on my ship were from the South or the lower Midwest. With growing up in a mixed neighborhood in Philadelphia I thought I knew racism when I saw it but I really wasn't prepared for the intensity and depth of the racism of people from the south. It was very shocking and appalling but also prepared me for what I read in this book. Sure, I can believe people are like they were portrayed here because I saw and heard it all myself right from the mouth of southern bigots. They usually didn't like me at first too because I was a big city boy from the North which was why I hung around with a lot of the black guys on the ship. They knew me as a homeboy from Philly as opposed to the usual white crackers crawling all over the ship.
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