This book does for the subject of southern reform what J. Mills Thornton's Politics and Power in a Slave Society did for southern politics. We simply have to reevaluate out traditional approach to antebellum southern culture after this book. Absolutely not for general readers, who do not like such detail and a 57.50 (!) price tag, but essential for South historians.

Historians of antebellum reform have tended to divide their subject along sectional lines, with northern reform being considered normative. Antebellum reform in the North has been difficult enough to understand, so it should be no surprise that few scholars have dared to reconcile the reform impulse in the North and South. Even admitting that the reform impulse existed in the South has been a somewhat recent development in the historiography (for examples, see Anne Loveland's Southern Evangelicals and the Social Order, Stanley Harrold's Abolitionists and the South, and Janet Cornelius Duitsman's Slave Missions and the Black Church in the Antebellum South). Quist, however, tackles the problem head-on by comparing reform in two counties, one in Alabama and one in Michigan. That he finds significant differences should surprise no one. That he also finds striking similarities, however, may require us to do some rethinking about reform in the antebellum South. Just as in the North, he sees reform in the South as "compatible with the demands of market behavior." His study is truly pathbreaking in that it opens up new territory and problems to explore. Because of Quist, any comprehensive account of antebellum reform will need to incorporate the Southern reform experience. I highly recommend this work to students of antebellum reform.

tHE BOOK SEAMLESSLY BLENDS THREE GENERATIONS OF FAMILY.YOU WILL lAUGHT AND IN THE NEXT CHAPTER YOU WILL FIND YOURSELF WITH TEARS ROLLING DOWN YOUR FACE. THIS AUTHOR HAS THE ABILITY TO MAKE YOU FEAL.iT IS AS IF YOU JUST SAT DOWN WITH THE AUTHOR OVER A CUP OF HOT COFFE AND SOON YOU KNEW HER INTIMATLY.I WAS SAD TO SEE IT END,I COULDN'T PUT IT DOWN. EVERYONE IN MY FAMILY READ IT AND IT SEEMED TO TRANSEND AGE AND WELCOME EVERYONE. IT WAS A JOY.

This ninth and latest collection of poems by Tom Rabbitt is uncompromising--stretching the possibilities of language and image in every line, never yielding to cliche or cheap sentiment or predictable rhythms. Ostensibly about a life-shift from the deep South to New England and finally to the west coast of Ireland, the poems are fierce meditations on the ironies of middle age and the inevitability of change. Rabbitt's insights--often searing in their honesty--are disciplined by a respect for form and a subtlety of craft lacking in so much of contemporary poetry. I highly recommend the book.

In 1966 Sam Hill published his classic assessment of the white Southern church which, on the whole, failed to speak redemptively in the midst of the civil rights movement. By its focus on personal religious experience and its failure to speak and act prophetically, the white churches did not address a word of reconciliation in a world of racial conflict. Thirly years later Hill has focused on purity of belief as the central theme of Southern religion. In asserting a doctrinal orthodoxy and denouncing specific ethical practices (abortion and gay rights, for example), Southern churches have turned inward in an effort to cleanse and purify themselves. We are in the debt both of the University of Alabama Press for reissuing the books and of Sam Hill for his new introductory essay.

I just met and spoke to Professor Manis today at the Southern Festival of Books in Nashville. His presentation of the work made me run out and buy it. Though I have not yet finished it, I am already very impressed.

The story of Fred Shuttlesworth is a powerful, dramatic story that everyone interested in the black freedom movement should read. Manis' compelling portrayal captures the spirit and spirituality of a great unsung hero. The book has been honored by the Lillian Smith Book Award, the South's oldest literary prize, and deserves a wide reading.

A compelling portrait of a real unsung hero. Emerge Magazine says it well: "The greatest battles of the civil rights movement come alive in this biography of the man Martin Luther King Jr. called "one of the nation's most courage freedom fighters." Manis is to be congratulated for bringing us this powerful story.

Whoever called this a "sleeper" is quite right. It's a fast read -- slyly funny and quietly frightening. You'll remember you read it, and that's about the best compliment for a book I can think of. I took one star off because it isn't perfect, but then few books are.

I read this book when it first came out, enjoyed it immensely. I was certain it would be a moderate "hit" in no time. But I tried to track it down a few years later and couldn't find it anywhere. Hope you're luckier than I.

If you read Might magazine, you're familiar with Glasgow Phillips' essays on subjects including the semiotics of tracksuits. Based on the strength of his nonfiction writing, and from some obscure mention of this, his first novel, I sought it out.

Was it ever worth it. Tuscaloosa is a finely crafted, immersive piece of writing. It's a coming of age story, but it's a little twisted, and I couldn't stop reading. I don't have the words to tell you why you ought to read it, but if you care about good writing you ought to read it. It's worth the extra effort.

I was very surprised when I read this book after picking it up at a used bookstore....extremely well written!

This is a great read...don't miss it.

It was like reliving Tuscaloosa all over again. As I was reading Johns book I could almost close my eyes and tell you what was on the next page. I was there with my face in the sand trying to servive. And I am extremely proud of the way my fellow Brother wrote our story. The reality even allowed me to see the young marines faces that I now will never forget. Thank you john Culbertson for an excellent, excellent accounting of times that should never been forgotten, nor the young Marines who laid down their lives that day. Semper Fi

The courage of the Marines have often been told. This book will take you into the battle of the Viet Nam mud marine. John puts you on the line with them and shows you the courage of the young men who fought these battles. Not only is it a true depliction of the battles,but the thoughts of the men who fought them. A must read for the young men and women who are thinking that war is all glory. I know I was there!!!!!

I have not completed the book yet. I never met my brother. All I had were letters sent to my mother to read. In this book it mentions my brother and it also answers a 35 year old question. To me, this book has brought a part of my brother to me. I have also purchased A Sniper In The Arizona. Thank you Mr. Culbertson..