The Tropic of Cracker

The Florida History and Culture Series

by Al Burt, Gary R. Mormino (Foreword), Raymond Arsenault (Foreword)

One man's vision of a state struggling to remain true to itself. The text mixes new essays with a span of earlier ones, and the Crackers of whom Al Burt tells are men and women from Apalachicola to the Everglades, from Tallahassee to the Keys.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Journalism

Kindle Edition

First published October 10, 1999

Reviews

[David Ward · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Tropic of Cracker by Al Burt (University Press of Florida 1999) (975.9063) (3406).

This is a volume of essays about “Old Florida” which was once populated mainly by cow hunters and cattlemen who were called “crackers” after the sound made by the long bullwhips the cowhandlers used to keep their charges moving. The cutoff date between New Florida and Old Florida falls somewhere between when the Army Corps of Engineers began to drain the Everglades and when Disney began to purchase massive tracts of land mid-state on which to erect theme parks.

Author Al Burt was for many years a roving columnist for the Miami Herald, and the essays contained herein were first published in said newspaper.

I wanted to love this book. Though well written, I found the offerings to be of the type that would appeal mostly to members of local garden clubs or chambers of commerce. I am neither.

My rating: 7/10, finished 12/20/19 (3406). HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

[Kathryn in FL · Rating 3 out of 5]

Having adopted Florida as my state of choice though not by birth, I have lived here the longest and find its ever changing dynamic fascinating. This is not my first book on Florida history, nor will it be my last. This is more a short story collection of little towns through time and less a history lesson. Thus had it been marketed differently, I think the disappointment among those having read it may have been more favorable. For those wanting a real slice of life type story, there are plenty of them including Peter Matthiessen's "Killing Mr. Watson" or the others in his Shadow Country Trilogy. Or the most respected "A Land Remembered" by Patrick Smith (which I need to finish). Also, I thoroughly enjoyed "Last Train to Paradise" which was very interesting and it's evil twin "Meet You in Hell" (which I didn't find as compelling as I anticipated).

Nevertheless, this story is told by someone with deep roots in the way Florida was before the damn Yankees and ferigners came and spoiled it. It was a time where many struggled to survive not only a vast region of swamp land and predators as terrifying as one might encounter in Africa and the weather that was as unforgiving as many places in the great North.

The various chapters are as diverse as the region itself. We meet people who are farmers to cowboys to those who rely on the sea for survival. My favorite story was on Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings and her husband. I remember another story about a family and one son in particular that barely survived raising and grazing cattle in Central Florida and thinking that it could have been set anywhere in the Midwest and read exactly the same, which was disappointing because there are some very unique stories to be shared. There was a story on the Mermaids at Weeki Watchee attraction too which I never ventured to see and now wished I had. I recall one story about two men, set up an attraction in outside Lake Okeechobee, which was a tourist trap for those with nothing better to do than to stop and rest in that god forsaken region famous even abroad only to finance their continued survival and desire to do as little as possible to eke out a living.

This is one of those charming books you come across and think, this will be interesting but when you finish, you think well that will get 50 cents at the next yard sale, if a history buff wonders by.

[Jennifer Nanek · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is essentially a series of stories about Florida from mostly the late seventies early eighties with a few late nineties ones stuck in there.. The author, a former journalist from The Miami Herald, reprints some of his stories in this book.

My personal favorite is the one about the Plantation Inn being burned down as that takes place In Lake Wales where I am from.

Love all the Polk County references throughout all the stories. My favorite stories include the one about Marjorie Marjorie Kinnon Rawlings' husband, the one about Zora Neal Hurston even though I knew that story a little bit already and The story about the hand cranked steel bridge.. But there are lots of good stories in this. It took me a while reading the book to get the rhythm of what the author is doing.

The book sufficiently captures a snapshot of Florida during a certain time period. I liked some of the predictions near the end about the next Florida about how swamps will be more appreciated, more folks will love grapefruit juice and how the whole middle of the state will become one big mega city.

The only thing that left a bad taste in my mouth was that in a few of the chapters the Klan seemed to be a bit romanticized. Yuck!

Enjoyed reading this

[Barbara Nutting · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not particularly well written but interesting non the less. Short stories of Florida "crackers" and "conchs"!

[Kim Migliozzi · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting history of old unspoiled Florida

[Jason Dearen · Rating 3 out of 5]

As a new resident of north central Florida, this book brought so much context to the new world around me. Burt's love for old Florida and its cast of characters -- from Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings to cracker cattlemen -- is always fun. Well written, fun and definitely worth the time for anyone interested in the history of north Florida. For those not interested in Florida, it offers some good insight into the South's segregationist past, old agriculture-based economy and mid-20th century literary scene.

[Rita · Rating 1 out of 5]

Also not what I wanted it to be in terms of n account of Florida history, but a nice series of essays on cracker culture, too many pictures of skinned rabbits/boar's heads for my taste as well.