On the Southern Literary Trail discussion

This topic is for an open discussion of Laura Webber's Moderator's Choice for November, 2015. Y'all have at it. Although I've read Roots: The Saga of an American Family by Alex Haley, this will be a first read for me. Looking forward to A Different Kind of Christmas. Talk about it, review it. And, as always, please post a link to your review here, if you write one.

This will be my very first Haley. I'm looking forward to reading this shorter writing of his. He had a farm place in my home county in East Tennessee. It's time I'm introduced to one of his works.

Looking forward to it Laura!

I loved Roots many years ago, and look forward to reading this one. It was a little hard to find, though.

Fortunately my dad had a copy I am borrowing. I've been checking McKays for extra copies. Haven't found one yet. I hope to get to this book next.

Fyi, Roots is being filmed here in New Orleans and will continue to be shot through Thanksgiving. I sometimes work as a background actor and will let you all know if I am going to be in any of the episodes :)

They are filming Roots again? Ugh, not a fan of remakes. Most of them are flops. It's rare that a remake is better than the original. Little Women with June Allyson and Elizabeth Taylor being an exceptional rework of the original with Katharine Hepburn. Remaking Footloose - disastrous. Leanne, keep us posted. I might watch it if it is worthy.

Tina, Ive no idea how the script is, but I can vouch for the authenticity of locations and at least the appearance of the background actors. I am on the call list and get to see what they are requesting. Lots of roles for people who are missing teeth, have unique facial characteristics, banjo and piano players, etc.

I felt that A Different Kind of Christmas had an important moral message and conveyed lots of information. More soul-searching and character development of Fletcher when he was making such a courageous decision would have improved the storytelling.

This is my review:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Starting this one in the morning.

Picking my copy up at the library tomorrow.

Hope to bring it home today.

My christmas decorations are up, it's chilly so I can turn on gas logs, I have peppermint creamer for my coffee and a new book. Sounds like a successful Monday! Got to get kiddo to school first.

Connie I agree that the writing is simply done. I can easily see my daughter reading this and she's 11. I'm not far into the book but I like it so far. The Ashe County NC I am familiar with is very much in the mountains. I'm having a hard time envisioning a plantation in this area. It's mountains and Christmas trees. Think a Ron Rash setting.

Laura, I already brought the book back to the library so I can't refer to it. Wikipedia says that Ashe County has farms for cattle, poulty, and Christmas trees today. The population today is only 0.66% African American in Ashe County. Things do change in over a hundred years, but it doesn't seem likely that large cotton plantations existed there. Maybe small farms.

That sums it up Connie. It's a mountain community. I'm trying to envision flat land for large farming operations. There's some bottomland along the river but no huge plots of open land. The christmas trees are on sides of mountains/hills. It's a work of fiction but I have in my mind what I know of Ashe county.

Wait! Laura, did you say your Christmas decorations are up?

Only weekend I could get to it. Too much to do and the weekend 2 weeks before christmas was only other weekend I could do it. I know, crazy! It's a scheduling thing!

Just starting thus today. So far so good, but only one chapter in.

As I am reading, Haley reinforces all that my 4th grader learned in history class last year.

My grandparents lived in Boone, which is in Watauga County abutting Ashe County. Before they moved into town, my grandfather farmed a small piece of land, but it was tobacco, not cotton. And definitely not a plantation. From what I remember of that area as a child, cotton would have been impossible. I wonder if Haley had some particular plantation in mind when he wrote this?

Josh and I discussed last night. 3000 acres for cotton and tobacco would be a stretch.

Hold the phone. Did she say her Christmas decorations were up? If I ever were able to pull that off, it really would be a different kind of Christmas. I love-hate you, Laura!

Maybe the plantation of his mind is in a different state. Louisiana comes to mind because of what he wrote about the slave market here in New Orleans. Hmmm - interesting little mystery.

Ok,that's funny LeAnne! Nice play of words/title. When he wrote this book he lived in East Tennessee only 3 hours at the most from Ashe County, NC. It does make one wonder?!

Really? Wonder if there is a reader's guide or biography out there with the skinny on this.

Also, I have a meme of Will Ferrel saying that for every Christmas light that is lit before Thanksgiving, an elf kills a baby reindeer. #deerslayer

That's hilarious!!!!

Dying laughing here. I'm going to see dead baby reindeer everywhere now. You CANNOT trust those elves.

Sadly, now I feel compelled to store away my 6' evil clown mannequin from Halloween. He is still at the front door, glaring at the UPS guy.

Anyway, lets dig into this plantation mystery!

Diane, it ain't the elves to blame here! Bad Laura v

I admire your efficiency & organizational skill, Laura, but we have a rule in our house--no Christmas until after Thanksgiving. And our cathedral is big on focusing on Advent in a quiet way until the actual holiday, I try and split the difference there and get the tree up & decorated by the winter solstice. One year we unexpectedly had to move house right before Christmas, and I was just going to skip the whole thing, but a friend came (we were living in England at the time) & took my husband out to get a tree on Christmas Eve. We got the Charlie Brown tree's clone, and spent Christmas Eve with the kids decorating it with what we could find in the midst of chaos. One of our best Christmases, when all is said & done.

Oh our neighborhood still has Halloween decorations up but I'll repeat, "scheduling" was motive here. However, I'm trying to find out when the Belcourt will be playing "it's a Wonderful Life". I haven't started any christmas music. Does that help my case?

Last year, I did a quick hiking & Biltmore trip w my old grad school roomie on the first weekend in November. Cannot remember exactly the number, but she and I counted the Christmas trees that were up and decorated in the house. I think it was 30 some, and wow - were they gorgeous!

I flew home on Sunday night, and when my husband got home from work on Monday, I already had two of our trees up and decorated. He asked if I were on crack or something. I blamed it on that cinnamon smelling Christmas potpourri.

Laura, I am now inspired!!

No help for your case needed, everybody does it differently, and each year is a new adventure at my house. As I am still disabled, it may be a slightly less labor intensive year. I am the heavy lifter on all things holiday, my husband should have "bah, humbug" tattooed on his forehead. Plus, this year my East Coast based child came home for a wedding in October, and so she will not be home again until late winter/early spring, and my local daughter and her husband will be going to Costa Rica, so it will only be 3 of us, 2 dogs, & 3 cats.

LeAnne wrote: "Last year, I did a quick hiking & Biltmore trip w my old grad school roomie on the first weekend in November. Cannot remember exactly the number, but she and I counted the Christmas trees that were..."

I love Biltmore at the holidays. If you ever go again, try making reservations for afternoon tea at the inn (you don't have to stay there to have tea) - if it's just you and a friend you can get one of the tables by the windows overlooking the estate. My husband and I have done this in the fall, it's so gorgeous (and the tea is lovely too.)

I finished this afternoon. A very quick read, full of info about the Underground Railroad. I have to agree with Connie, it would be a valuable read for middle schoolers to learn about that time period, and how some abolitionists formed their opinions. Here is a review by Diane: http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/...

I'm not sure if I'll be able to fit this in but I picked it up from the library just in case and took a look at it last night.

One question. Why would a Southerner in 1855 be referred to as a 'rebel'?

Just started last night and loving the writing. My first Haley. Any readers of Roots or other Haley books out there? If this has already been discussed, forgive me. I don't want to read through the thread until I've finished the book.

Mmars wrote: "Just started last night and loving the writing. My first Haley. Any readers of Roots or other Haley books out there? If this has already been discussed, forgive me. I don't want to read through the..."

I read The Autobiography of Malcolm X a long time ago.

I would like to experience a little more emotion from Fletcher. I am not feeling his change in perspective. When he goes to the brothers, to the handshake man, to the UGRR captains, I don't feel anything from him. This is reading somewhat in textbook style as others have mentioned. I am enjoying the simple writing but I would like more emotion.

Laura, I felt the same. This is not a very complex book at all, which is why it would be great for juveniles. He wrote this after his success with Roots, so maybe he was writing for a younger audience. I tried checking online, but couldn't really find any information on this book, except for reviews from several sources.
I read Roots when it was published, and of course, watched the mini-series. But it was so long ago that I don't remember much about the style of writing or the emotions of the characters. Do you think Fletcher is a wooden character because he is a white plantation owner, and Haley didn't know how to get inside his head? It seemed to me that Hattie and Harpin John had more depth than the others. Even the Quaker brothers were not sympathetically portrayed.

Diane - it has been so long since I have read roots , I am thinking , I may revisit by listening on tape ! It was a great book and the movie made me so nervous as a young girl . My brother and I sat cuddled with my Mama as we watched the series ! I think it was the longest book my brother ever read in his whole life even to this date ! HA!

He was so into the whole thing ! He had and still keeps in touch with his best boyhood friend Doug Williams who was a really nice black boy on the AFB where we lived in GA. He spent the night with Doug and he at our house to and that was during early school segregation . As kids we had know idea anything was going on . In the military , we were always in schools together on base.

It does not even seem strange that he is married to our Susannah who is white and was once married to a black man . My brother is raising to interracial teens right now . They are good kids . I felt so bad for Amaya last year as she cried wanting to be white before starting junior high . It was heart breaking . My brother is really good with both Amaya and Damien . We love them too . It is so hard for them growing up in Nashville , TN.

It just reminds me again how he cried about Roots on TV and insisted on reading Alex Haley's book . I suppose we were always raised a bit color blind being in the military and our parents never allowed us to be mean or unfair to others . I never really remember feeling different towards anyone but I remember kids bullying me . I was very tiny and my clothes were always big. I also was very shy . My first grade teacher used to allow me to stay inside and read during recess because children picked on me so badly.

Books were always my friends .
Dawn

Tom - the meaning of the word REBEL is someone who says , " No " ! - this is a quote from the French Existentialist ????? Dang it all ! I just drew a blank ! I will get back to you with his name ! I quote this all the time ! I am getting senile I suppose ! HA!

~ Dawn

Dawn - Thanks for sharing. Amaya's story is timely. So much is coming out now from so many corners concerning racism and obstacles, hope she can realize she's not alone and that your family's support can give her courage and strength.

As to Fletcher's emotions, I don't believe he was raised to show emotion. He is sort of an intellectual outsider who keeps things close to his chest. Freeing the slaves seems more a moral or philosophical decision for him.

Dawn wrote: "Tom - the meaning of the word REBEL is someone who says , " No " ! - this is a quote from the French Existentialist ????? Dang it all ! I just drew a blank ! I will get back to you with his name ! ..."

I hate it when that happens! Actually, I don't need René Descartes to explain the meaning of the word rebel. The usage I am questioning is on the second page of the book where a Southern schoolboy was harassed by a gang of boys calling themselves 'rebel-haters'. My question. Isn't it anachronistic to use rebel as an epithet applied to a southerner five years before the South rebelled?

Tom, that is an excellent catch! Im wondering, too, if his placement of the cotton plantation was also a bit of an error on his part. Laura, Josh, and Sue caught that discrepancy.

Perhaps he did conduct diligent research, but I will say that I have found probably four or five books lately with author errors in them. Just because one is an excellent writer May not mean he or she is as accurate as possible.

In our recent discussion of Ron Rash's latest book, I mention that he did research through my friend, a handler of cadaver dogs, for just two short sentences in his book. He "met" her at my house via a telephone chat, got permission to call her, and then dialed her mentor who has been working with those type of dogs for 30 years. I really respect that attention to detail and accuracy.

LeAnne wrote: "Really? Wonder if there is a reader's guide or biography out there with the skinny on this.

Also, I have a meme of Will Ferrel saying that for every Christmas light that is lit before Thanksgivin..."

It'll take me the next 12 days, full on, to be ready for Thanksgiving.

I'm dying to post a pic of my daughter at the history museum dressed as Frederick Douglass. It's great! Will have to have josh help with the pic. -pg 40 reference

We need to see it. On a side note, guess who now has two trees up?

Definitely need that picture!