THE SOUTH AND THE SOUTHERNERS

by Ralph McGill ‧ RELEASE DATE: March 28, 1963

The well known liberal editor of the Atlanta Constitution, and one of the finest newspapermen in the country, McGill has provided a marvelous running account of his thoughts, memories and views of a confused South. The book is in part autobiography, going back to his boyhood in East Tennessee, college days in the '20's, the Klan and the Depression and the holocaust of World War II. But, moving back and forth in time, he also tells stories of Southern politics at its worst and best, characterizes all kinds of southern life from plantation mansion to share cropper hut, and dwells lovingly on the South of today. The rise and the travail of the Negro, the rural poverty juxtaposed against industrial growth, the hysteria of supremacists against the more reasoned thinking of other leaders, these are the real scenes and current issues which are created along side his own story. The Long dynasty of Louisiana, the John Kaspers and Lincoln Rockwells, the Freedom Riders and integrationists- all these violently opposing forces are seen as they clash on southern streets and in southern courtrooms. McGill's sensitivity, his sense of the English language, and his pained personal anguish at the turmoil of the South make this a truly remarkable work. It is at once a summation and a view- with hope- for the future. Vital.

Pub Date: March 28, 1963

ISBN: N/A

Page Count: -

Publisher: Little, Brown-A.M.P.

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 1963

Categories: NONFICTION