Thursday, May 31, 2018

Review: South Toward Home

South Toward Home: Adventures and Misadventures in my Native Land

South Toward Home
Julia Reed

The funny and amusing essays in South Toward Home are all about life in the American South. Frankly, they were just what I needed for a good laugh. In the book, Ms. Reed alludes to the fact that Southerners are often called upon to make their own fun, and from many of the episodes and adventures in this book it is clear that Ms. Reed is quite adept in doing just that. Whether she was attending a food festival in Greenville Mississippi, her hometown or pointing out the tourists in a New Orleans bar and wondering about their behavior, there was always something to like about her observations.

I particularly enjoyed Hell on Wheels where the author explains the love of her first car a 1978 Toyota Celica and all the joy and adventure she had in it. I also enjoyed Going Deep in Dixie and her defense of the Florida panhandle as a summer destination. Most, if not all of these short essays were amusing or told me something I didn't know about the South and as I'm a resident of the region, I'm almost a bit ashamed to admit that I hadn't heard of the author before this book. Of course, I now count myself as a fan of Ms. Reed's style and humor.

So for anyone who isn't familiar with the American South, South Toward Home is an excellent place to dip your toe. I think you will find the quirkiness and charm of southern culture and people spread throughout the pages of this book. And if you like what you read and want to try it out in person, remember (and this is my own observation) it's hot as hell, the mosquitoes are as big as elephants and the poison oak packs a mean punch but otherwise, as this book shows it's all good fun.

Thanks to Goodreads and St. Martin's Press for allowing me to read this book in exchange for an honest review.




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