We’ve now reached the time of year where the heat and humidity has settled across the South. The Corgis stay in during the heat of the day and only play outside in the evenings when it’s cooler. Summer in the South is full of the intense atmosphere changes that come from entering a freezing store and walking outside just to have the humidity fog up your glasses. But I’ve grown to love the process of trees blooming and the warm breeze sending the petals across the ground. Different regions in the U.S. have their own unique histories and cultures. Today I’m talking about two books that look at America’s past in the South and the Midwest.
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Bookish Goods
I’d Rather Be At The Scholastic Book Fair Bucket Hat by embroidereddadhats
I’ve decided that this will be the summer I use more hats for protection from the sun. Bucket hats have come back just in time! This one is so cute. $20
New Releases
Pageboy by Elliot Page
A lot of us have been anticipating this book for so long! Trans actor Elliot Page describes his experience growing up and starting his acting career before he came out. He performs the audiobook himself, and I will definitely be going that route.
Starstruck: A Memoir of Astrophysics and Finding Light in the Dark by Sarafina El-Badry Nance
Egyptian American astrophysicist Sarafina El-Badry Nance describes her experience studying as a woman in her field. Her memoir is full of a love for science and the determined grit that has enabled her career in a male-dominated field.
For a more comprehensive list, check out our New Books newsletter.
Riot Recommendations
A Fever in the Heartland: The Ku Klux Klan’s Plot to Take Over America, and the Woman Who Stopped Them by Timothy Egan
I read A Fever in the Heartland for a book club with some friends, and we all couldn’t stop talking about it. We all agreed that when we think of the KKK, we typically think of the South. But Timothy Egan is here to remind folks that the KKK took a national approach, finding strongholds across the country. Egan focuses on Indiana, which had local clubs of the KKK in all but two of its counties. He describes the history of the organization in the region, how the KKK had many different goals of ridding the region of various groups that they felt weren’t “desirable.” This book clearly outlines that the KKK had control over a lot of local politics, which gave them great success in their heinous work to destroy any community they thought was not supporting their efforts in white supremacy.
South to America: A Journey Below the Mason-Dixon to Understand the Soul of a Nation by Imani Perry
Imani Perry’s family is originally from Alabama, but she moved North for her education and her academic career. In South to America, Perry returns to her home region with fresh eyes, seeing the South in all of its complexities. Each chapter looks at a different sub-region of the South, highlighting important events and histories. The whole reading experience feels like Perry is a docent giving readers a tour of the South, pointing out interesting places and things along the way. Perry argues that the South is the heart of America, that the South is the truest measure of where America is as a nation. She shares many incredible insights with readers, and her work is so well researched and laid out. She also reads the audiobook, so if you love listening to your books, this is definitely one to read with your ears.
That’s it for this week! You can find me over on my substack Winchester Ave, over on Instagram @kdwinchester, or on my podcast Read Appalachia. As always, feel free to drop me a line at kendra.d.winchester@gmail.com. For even MORE bookish content, you can find my articles over on Book Riot.
Happy Reading, Friends!
~ Kendra