Tag Archives: Alabama

Shots from Alabama hill country

Posted on October 30, 2016 by smellincoffee

My return from New Mexico has left me feeling slightly guilty that there’s so much of Alabama I haven’t seen.   To start setting things to right, yesterday I traveled several hours north to Winston County, where can be found … Continue reading →

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Driving with the Devil

Posted on May 4, 2016 by smellincoffee

Driving with the Devil:  Southern Moonshine, Detroit Wheels, and the Birth of NASCAR© 2006 Neil Thompson411 pages Oh Rapid Roy that stock car boy He’s the best driver in the lan’ He say that he learned to race a stock … Continue reading →

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Images of America: Selma

Posted on October 31, 2015 by smellincoffee

Images of America: Selma © 2014 Sharon Jackson 168 pages When I heard that the Images of America series had commissioned a book on Selma, I stood midway between excitement and dread. The series offers a pictoral recounting of small-town America, … Continue reading →

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Selma 1965

Posted on March 18, 2015 by smellincoffee

Selma 1965: the March that Changed the South© 1974, 1985, 2015 Chuck Fager257 pages (2nd edition), Last weekend, my hometown suddenly became host to two presidents, a hundred members of Congress, and enough people to see it swell over ten times … Continue reading →

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Casualties

Posted on January 22, 2015 by smellincoffee

Casualties: A Novel of the Civil War© 2010 David Rothstein465 pages The year is 1863, and Tom Connor just survived the Battle of Gettysburg. His kid brother didn’t, though, and agonized emotionally he is looking forward to a Christmas furlough … Continue reading →

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No Hill Too High for a Stepper

Posted on November 17, 2014 by smellincoffee

No Hill Too High for a Stepper: Memories of Montevallo, Alabama© 2014 Mike Mahan384 pages No Hill Too High for a Stepper is a work of reminiscence, a country dentist’s recollections of growing up in a small Alabama town during … Continue reading →

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Poor But Proud

Posted on February 1, 2014 by smellincoffee

Poor but Proud: Alabama’s Poor Whites© 2001 Wayne Flynt488 pages We might be poor but we’re proud And we’re living the best way we know how We don’t have much but we don’t look for pity Cause we’re country poor … Continue reading →

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Selma

Posted on February 25, 2013 by smellincoffee

Selma: A Novel of the Civil War© 2008 Val McGee396 pages On the cover: Sturdivant Hall, a local home-turned-museum. Today, Selma, Alabama is a small town on the Alabama river, largely forgotten save for its role in the Civil Rights … Continue reading →

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Reporter

Posted on January 30, 2012 by smellincoffee

Reporter: Covering Civil Rights…and Wrongs in Dixie© 2006 Alvin Benn388 pages When a young Alvin Benn left the Marine Corps to beome a civilian editor working with United Press International,  he was asked by UPC’s vice president where he wanted … Continue reading →

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