My Southern Journey: True Stories from the Heart of the South

Full of homespun philosophy and reflection, the 72 short essays in this collection from Pulitzer-winner Bragg (All Over But the Shoutin') present a paean to his Southern roots. Grouped under "Home," "Table," "Place," "Craft," and "Spirit," the pieces explore a range of themes, including Alabama red dirt, rednecks, football, the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, gospel singing, All Saints Day in New Orleans, and in the best section, Southern homestyle cooking. Each essay is steeped in personal memories and experiences and most are infectiously funny; for example, "For a Vegetable, I'll Have White Gravy," a celebration of Southern comfort food, asserts that a bagel is "a biscuit without sin or indulgence." They are also full of down-to-earth insights, such as an observation prompted by neighbors working together after a ferocious storm: "As Southerners, we know that a man with a chainsaw is worth 10 with a clipboard, that there is no hurt in this world, even in the storm of the century, that cannot be comforted with a casserole, and that faith, in the hereafter or in neighbors who help you through the here and now, cannot be knocked down." Even confirmed Northerners will find the genial charm of these essays hard to resist. (Sept.)