The Southerner's Handbook: A Guide to Living the Good Life

by Garden and Gun, Chris Dixon

From the editors of Garden & Gun-the award-winning magazine known as "The Soul of the South"-comes a sublime and practical guidebook to the essentials of modern Southern living

The South has risen again: From the ubiquity of pickled ramps and Sazeracs on northern urban restaurant menus to the craze for bespoke leather goods, artisanal whisky, and regional literature, Americans have fallen under the charming spell of Southern culture. Now, the taste-making editors of Garden & Gun offer a compendium of essential Southern skills-drawn from tradition yet utterly modern-straight from leading experts and writers who embody the contemporary South. Beautifully designed and illustrated, this anthology-style manual includes more than 75 essays and instructional features on essential aspects of Southern life, including Food & Drink, Style, Entertaining, Home, Gardening, Sporting and The Outdoors, and Southern Tradition.

The Southerner's Handbook contains such requisite information as:

• How to season grits, fry okra, and shuck an oyster
• How to drink bourbon, make moonshine, and mix the perfect Bloody Mary
• How to fly fish, shoot a dove, and bet on a horse
• How to set a sideboard, polish silver, and be a gracious host
• How to break in Western boots, fold a pocket square, and embrace seersucker
• How to write the Great Southern Novel, play a blues song, and tell a great story
As flavorful, authentic, and irresistible as the land and the people who inspire it, The Southerner's Handbook is the ultimate guide to being a Southerner (no matter where you live).

Genres: Nonfiction, Cookbooks, Food, Southern, Travel, Lifestyle, Humor

304 pages, Hardcover

First published October 29, 2013

Reviews

[Diane S ☔ · Rating 3 out of 5]

Jam packed full of all the information anyone could need to identify a Southerner or doe those who just love the wonderful things of the South. Cast iron skillets, gentile manners, mint juleps, cowboy boots and the fine art of horseback riding. So much more and all come with short little essays letting the reader know how these things came to pass.

The hunting part, went over my head, not a hunter. Frogging, no thanks. Sweet tea, remember when my kids were younger and on a trip to South Carolina my children discovered sweet tea. Big hit, had it at every meal for the duration of our trip. Best part for me was the no fail biscuit recipe and the awesome sounding pecan pies. Oh, and I have tried the boiled peanuts, not a fan. A fun and quick read.

[Christopher Zulueta · Rating 5 out of 5]

A revisit (for me) into a culture that is brought into a much needed spotlight where most outsiders construe as one "universal drawl." Our regional differences are beautiful and ancient, one where the rest of the US can relish in a quote from John T. Edge:

"The rest of the country has long wanted what Southerners have. They have coveted our stone ground grits and skillet-fried okra. They thirst for our whiskey. They want our ham, a chef friend once told me, as we leaned against his truck, swigging a bottle of bourbon. And they want our history..."

As a young boy, an appreciation of Southern culture was not apparent. The love of the land, running barefoot in a thunderstorm, and awaiting for it to clear to collect lightning bugs all came back to me upon reading the countless stories within this tome. I admit I began to daydream, I reminisced about the magical sounds of cicadas and crickets forming a perfect harmony so comforting as if it were dozen variations of casseroles on my grandmother's table.

What you will find in this book: perfect fried chicken, seer suckers and pocket square style, New Orleans classic cocktails, Bourbon, tick tricks, in praise of the Southern garden, Southern dialects, a tribute to the writers of the South (a friend of mine once told me that William Faulkner was asked once why the South had produced so many great writers and his response was, "We lost."), how to fall off a horse, and one of my favorites, how to wrestle an alligator.

Upon opening this book it had me at an endearing "hello" from which was stated,

"Because I was born in the South, I'm a Southerner. If I had been born in the north, the west, or the central plains, I would just be a human being."

~ Clyde Edgerton

[Jess the Shelf-Declared Bibliophile · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is really more 3.5 stars but I'll be nice and round up. Good overview of Southern culture. A little bland at times, but still a good read.

[Desiree Reads · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lovely book full of great tips and Southern charm!

[Betty · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a very nice book, lovely cover on the hardbook version.
I am a transplant to Georgia from California. This book explained some aspects about Southerners that I did not know. The book has six parts; each addresses a different aspect of life in the South. The parts are: 1)Food, 2) Style, 3)Drink, 4) Sporting & Adventure, 5)Home & Garden, and 6) Arts & Culture. Food is, of course, a big part of life in the South. The book has a section of boiled peanuts, something I'd never had before moving here. It's still something I am not crazy about. Don't care for grits either, which is covered in another chapter. There is even a chapter on okra. That one was very interesting. Pecan pie and collard greens also had their chapters. I was surprised that banana pudding wasn't covered. The section on style was humorous. I loved the chapter on "finger salutes". This is definitely a southern thing. Driving along the roads (not the interstates) when you pass someone going the other way, even a stranger, you lift your index finger, just to say hi. If you recognize the person you lift the index and middle finger. Another chapter addressed writing notes. This is a part of Southern life that I admire. You don't do email, or texting. You take the time to actually write a letter. The style of your stationary is also important. It even addressed the proper way to seal the envelope. Most of these "chapters" are only a couple of pages. However, one chapter actually rated SEVEN pages. Can you guess what it is? Sweet tea, of course. Southerners take their sweet tea VERY seriously. Three other chapters I must mention: 1) Southernisms: you've heard them ("That dog won't hunt." "Happy as a tick on a fat dog." Should have included "Bless his/her heart." 2)Southern music: Living outside Macon I'm very aware of this one. There's some big musical talent from the South. 3)Southern football: They take their college football almost as seriously as their sweet tea. There were several areas I had no interest in and just skimmed them (i.e., hunting and fishing.) Overall, it's a cute book. Native Southerners would probably rate it higher than I did.

I received my copy from a BookTrib giveaway. This is an honest and unbiased review.

[Melanie Johnson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute book about Southern culture. If you ever wondered how to clean silver, learn how to hunt fox, or want to wax poetic about Southern literature, then this is a great book for you to read.

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good way to spend an ice storm. The food chapter had me contemplating a freedom run to get pulled pork, greens and cornbread. Needless to say, the ice has shut the entire city down, so I made do with pimento cheese and a Napoleon House Pimm's Cup. I started dreaming about the dog days of summer when I come home from work, mix an honest-to-goodness cocktail and sit on the back patio in the shade while reading something by a Southern author. Some of my modern favorite essayist wrote for this collection: Roy Blount, Jr., Julia Reed and John T. Edge.

A good representation of the broad region known as The South. I may not be the girl with the Hermes scarf, but I can ride (and come off) a horse, bet a Derby winner, give a two finger, two lane road wave and appreciate a bourbon or a Tennessee whiskey. I am a Road Trip Queen. I'm from Kentucky so while basketball rules, I am free to be rabid SEC football fan.

Oh dear, my roots are showing.

[Jelena Nemet · Rating 4 out of 5]

Little can match the humiliation of marching into a Scotsman’s pub and proudly ordering an Irish whiskey. I was, it turns out, just that dumb. What I learned from that night was that there is an austere ethnocentricity surrounding whiskey, and to understand it you must first respect it. Twenty years later, I still feel the sting of the tongue-lashing I took from that particular gin-blossomed Highlander for my wrongheadedness: “If ye ehver spek ta meh like that aggen en mi own place, laddie, I’ll toss ye owt on yer fookin’ arse.”

[Kerstin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Got this charming little book as a Christmas present. It has wonderful short articles about southern living from cooking to gardening to literature and more. I made the biscuits and gravy - oh my!!

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

"Grinning like a possum eating a sweet potato"

Yeah, I don't know either. I was born and raised in the North so this is all new to me too. Yes, people in the North have our own idioms and lingo, but this was funny to me. We have possums and have sweet potatoes, but the two together is interesting haha.

This book was a very interesting type of book. It wasn't directly a list or a guide. It was almost just pieces of culture put together. I was hoping when I picked this book up to understand the Southern culture a little bit more. Being from the North I have my own past times and traditions. I would have been nice to transport into a different world like my own. This wasn't exactly what I bargained for. I got some information and not that it was bad information, it just wasn't enough I think. I have read novels that have taken me down to Sahvanna or to the bayou. I felt more in the Southern lands that this book presented.

The author gave essential pieces of Southern traditions and cultures and I have multiple post-it notes in there for copying information. Things like Fried Chicken, lemonade, year-round gardening, and Mardi Gras.

I don't think it's a waste to look through this book. There will be something for everyone in here to enjoy. You will find something new to put into your daily lifestyle.

[Steve · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked this book. Format is short 2-4 page essays on various aspects of Southern life and lifestyle written by a myriad of authors. Some were, of course, more interesting than others, but I read them all nonetheless. If you like the writing style of the "Garden & Gun" magazine then you'll like this since the writers are contributors to the magazine. Then again, if you are a frequent reader of "Garden & Gun" you probably already know about this book and don't need my danged review anyway!

[Cynthia Paschen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some lovely essays on skills and southern life. I would have liked to see a bit more diversity, as this is very focused on wealthy white people.

One correction; In Donovan Webster's piece, "Finger Salutes," he writes that finger salutes are peculiar to the south. I get finger salutes all of the time in rural Iowa.

[Tanner · Rating 3 out of 5]

Perfectly average. Good if you're a homesick Southerner or a curious and totally uninitiated Yankee, but the stories and information are very run-of-the-mill and lean too fancy for me. Best consumed as a bathroom book, because the broad platitudes about Southern literature and music become grating.

[Margaret · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gorgeous book. Perfect for curling up with a glass of wine (or a bourbon) and taking a trip back down South.

[charles moore · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Southerner's Handbook

Enjoyable read, being a Southerner myself the book was spot on although it's impossible to capture the true essence of the south in any book

[Heather · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great resource, especially for fans of the magazine. A hip reference book.

[Steven Wyder · Rating 5 out of 5]

Quick & easy

Pretty good summary on many subjects. Quick and easy to read. Only think left lacking was one author's voice, kind of moves about in style.

[Matt Neely · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great little essays on many features of life.

[Melissa · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed all of this book, but especially the last section on arts and culture.

[Nancy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Southern Charm

This is a great book if you want to learn more about the south. Learn everything there is from a to z.

[Lois Anne]

Southern culture is quirky in ways that even the most experienced and prevailing Southerners and every other American don’t appreciate. In the book, The Southerner's Handbook: A Guide to Living the Good Life, written by the editors of the Garden & Gun, each chapter discovers a new piece of Southern culture and how to apply it to daily life or the occasional invitation to the Kentucky Derby. The Southerner's Handbook: A Guide to Living the Good Life explores many subsets of the Southern way of life, and this shows effectiveness when finding specifics in the book. This organization includes sections such as food, style, drinks, sporting and adventure, home and garden, and lastly, arts and culture. While reading this book, many new figurative language phrases were unraveled, but they all include a Southern twist! "Run with the big dogs, or stay on the porch”(Wallace 228), this saying is very common among Southerners and embraces the essence of Southern sayings, and it means that if you're not up for the challenge, you better sit out! Throughout the book, it invites specialists to discuss the relevant topic, and sometimes this dialogue is funny, witty, or particularly serious. On pages 162 and 161 in the chapter "Sporting and Adventure," under the article "Wrestle an Alligator," an unknown Garden & Gun editor interviews Florida's Gatorland alligator wrestler, Tim Williams and he reports that he says, “‘A gator might hit you with its tail,’ Williams says, ‘and it will hurt, it can even break a bone. But like I tell my wrestlers, the back end will beat you and the front end will eat you”(162). Every Southerner must add this to their future reads, and it is great for all ages and easy to read.

[Rachel Sulik · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was fun and I appreciate its intention and spirit but I get a little tired of the whole "the South is so wonderful" attitude. Obviously, this book is not the place to cover issues the South has or has caused but I couldn't help thinking about the ugly side of the South while reading it. It felt a bit snobby, too, which perhaps was supposed to be the tone. My sister bought me this book when I moved to Charleston and i thought it was fun and cute but now I read it in a different light. I would still recommend it.

[Charlie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mixed feelings

Now, I'm a "Damn Yankee," the kind that started to pass through, but ended up staying. So, although I learned a few new things ( I've been in the South a while now), I did find parts of it precious and whiny, almost like a spoiled child. Culture, arts, and hard-working salt-of-the-earth people do exist in other parts of the country, you know. So, if you're from the South, you will be moved to say "amen" a lot. If you are not, you will need a whole shaker of salt (sorry Jimmy), because a grain won't be enough. I will never understand the near life-and-death importance of football (weddings are planned around important games), but I do love the bourbon.

[The Lexington Bookie · Rating 4 out of 5]

As a Yankee from the north, I feel like I still have so much to learn about the south and it's unspoken customs. Thankfully, I found this really gorgeous clothbound collection to help me brush up on many different topics- some I had already familiarized myself with, but many I hadn't. In very easy, short story- style chapters, each contributor to the handbook shares in detail recipes, customs, tips, and tricks to find your way in traditional southern lifestyle.

[Holly · Rating 4 out of 5]

More like a 3.5 rating but rounded up. Fun facts and interesting concepts. Not a "southerner " myself so hard to relate to some of the lifestyle. Still, fun to expand my knowledge on the various topics. My favorite section was Arts & Culture, but there are little "gems of knowledge " spread throughout! Very enjoyable! Also found myself "googling " many items and people. Always good to educate yourself!

[Lisa Buckalew · Rating 4 out of 5]

Picked up from "featured" shelf at library. Fun read, compilation of magazine articles/ essays. Skipped around and perfect waiting on a friend/ waiting in line book as most essays were 2-3 pages. So fun and re-subscribed to Garden & Gun!

[Andee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another charming collection of stories and factoids that are all things funny, helpful, insightful, slightly disturbing, and entertaining. I definitely plan to try the Supreme Sausage Gravy recipe in the food chapter.

[C · Rating 4 out of 5]

Just back from New Orleans, I decided to check out this book bc I loved the cover and was missing southern food. There’s good recipes and on-point (if super traditional) advice throughout. I was happy to see that Fritzel’s Jazz Pub in NOLA made the top 5 essential venues to visit.

[Kailyn · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'd give this 3.5 stars. It was at times a fun read, depending on what I was interested in. I picked this up because of my recent trip to Savannah and Hilton Head Island. The Food and Drink sections were my favorite.

[Mary Lynn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wish it had photos...