In the book, the Pulitzer Prize-winning author takes readers on a ten-state adventure from Gettysburg to Vicksburg, from Charleston graveyards to Tennessee taverns, probing both the history of the Civil War and its potent echo in the present. Propelled by his boyhood passion for the Civil War, Mr. Horwitz embarks on a search for places and people still held in thrall by America's greatest conflict. The result is an adventure into the soul of the unvanquished South, where the ghosts of the Lost Cause are resurrected through ritual and remembrance. The reviewer Kurt Jensen of USA Today wrote of the book: "In this sparkling book, Tony Horwitz freshens our culture of remembrance with humor and a sharpshooter's eye, exploding myths with the irreverence of a small boy hurling snowballs at a beaver hat.... An important contribution to understanding how echoes of the Civil War have never stopped."
Tony Horwitz worked for many years as a newspaper reporter, first in Indiana and then during a decade overseas in Australia, Europe, Africa, and the Middle East, mainly covering wars and conflicts as a foreign correspondent for The Wall Street Journal. After returning to the U.S., he won the Pulitzer Prize for national reporting and wrote for The New Yorker before becoming a full-time author. His books include the national and New York Times bestsellers, "Confederates in the Attic," "Blue Latitudes," "Baghdad Without a Map," and "A Voyage Long and Strange." His latest book, "Midnight Rising," was named a New York Times Notable Book of 2011; one of the year’s ten best books by Library Journal; and won the 2012 William Henry Seward Award for Excellence in Civil War Biography.
Led by Evelyn Fischel, Saturday Samplers is a book discussion group dedicated to sampling various kinds of literature, including short stories, nonfiction, new and old novels, and even teen fiction. Its goal is to search out interesting, noteworthy, and sometimes overlooked books. Readers can find information about the group and about the books and authors on the reading list at http://saturdaysamplers.blogspot.com. No sign-up is needed to join the discussion. Call the library at 766-0118 for more information.
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