My entire life experience with The South boils down to a brief road trip I took almost 20 years ago through Texas, Arkansas, Tennessee, et al. As a native Californian, what struck me most were the anti-abortion billboards we passed along the highway and the racial glass ceiling I noticed in almost every establishment I visited, although frankly I don't think the ceiling was as invisible as...
more My entire life experience with The South boils down to a brief road trip I took almost 20 years ago through Texas, Arkansas, Tennessee, et al. As a native Californian, what struck me most were the anti-abortion billboards we passed along the highway and the racial glass ceiling I noticed in almost every establishment I visited, although frankly I don't think the ceiling was as invisible as glass. I've read Faulkner amongst other Southern fiction and Alice Walker's autobiography, and seen plenty of documentaries and movies about the South and Mississippi in particular, but I don't think they were as personally insightful as this novel whose storyline covers the perspectives of black maids to young white women (mostly rich, but one poor turned rich) in 1960s Mississippi. Those of you from small towns (like me) will relate to the novel's portrayal of how difficult it can be to navigate the social microcosm of a small town, and you will also appreciate how profound this microcosm can be in illuminating the greater story of power and control in our country. This book is a reminder of what happens when people try to hold on so desperately to the small ground underneath them, out of fear that giving up power, money or status will cause them to lose rather than gain something. Fortunately, there is a heroine (supported by two others) who goes against the status quo, loses everything the town taught her to hold dear, but gains so much more. I hope I'm not giving too much away. Of course, the Southern dialect, wit and charm make this book candy for the ears, particularly on audiobook.
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