Knoxville's Secret History

by Jack Neely

"This book consists of 1 to 3 page vignettes of local, often offbeat history of Knoxville, Tennessee. Most were originally published in MetroPulse, the town's alternative newspaper."

Genres: History

Paperback

Published January 1, 1995

Reviews

[Jason Moore · Rating 3 out of 5]

Really interesting stuff, but for me it was a very slow read. I could sit and read a couple of stories and be happy but I couldn't read for more than a few minutes without losing interest, and that's really rare for me. This is a collection of Neely's articles from Metro Pulse, and it reads as such. I can't sit for an hour reading newspaper articles. With a bit of editing could have been a much more accessible read, but pretty good nonetheless.

[Steve · Rating 4 out of 5]

I recommend Neely's book(s) to anyone who is interested in Knoxville, Tennessee history. That may be a small group, but hey, it's a small city. The stories are interesting and the style is accessible.

My only complaint is that Neely fails to cite his work. But he's a journalist, not an historian, so I suppose he can do whatever he wants.

[Jonathan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting, but poor editing makes for a slow read.

There's an opportunity for a new edition to update the vernacular and locations that have changed over the past 30 years.

Liked:
The author went back and added notes within a year if something material changed. They also printed a correction - we love the humility!
Big focus on accuracy, so valuable.
Easy to put down since the stories all run 3-5 pages.
Learned some neat things.
Found a copy in the McKays free bin.

Disliked:
Poor editing. The stories seem to be in no particular order.
You can tell there was a plan because it's not chronological, but it was a plan that isn't clear and hasn't aged well.

No footnotes? No clue what is being referenced.
So much of these articles are written referencing common knowledge, names, or terms that have not survived the past decades of the city.
This sucked the historical value out of several stories.
Acknowledging it's difficult to write about the past for the future - it seems a better job could have still been done or supported through the editing process.

Cheers

[Gavin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent history of Knoxville, TN. Highly recommended.

[David Ward · Rating 3 out of 5]

Secret History: Stories About Knoxville, Tennessee by Jack Neely (Scruffy City Publishing 1995)(976.88). Jack Neely is a local historian who writes a column in a local weekly alternative paper about little known historical facts and events about Knoxville, Tennessee. This is a collection of his columns. He roots out some interesting trivia that's often surprising to the local know-it-alls. My rating: 7/10, finished 2000.

[Scott Holstad · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you're a Knoxville TN native, or familiar at all with the city, this is the book for you. It reveals so many interesting things about the city, things you'd either never know or even think about. I've often wondered about this or that, and this book really nails some of these questions down. Jack Neeley is Knoxville's true historian.