S Is for Southern: A Guide to the South, from Absinthe to Zydeco

by Editors of Garden and Gun, David DiBenedetto

From the  New York Times  bestselling authors at  Garden & Gun  comes a lively compendium of Southern tradition and contemporary culture. The American South is a diverse region with its own vocabulary, peculiarities, and complexities. Tennessee whiskey may technically be bourbon, but don’t let anyone in Kentucky hear you call it that. And while boiling blue crabs may be the norm across the Lowcountry in South Carolina and Georgia, try that in front of Marylanders and they’re likely to put you in the pot. Now, from the editors of  Garden & Gun  comes this illustrated encyclopedia covering age-old traditions and current culture.  S Is for Southern  contains nearly five hundred entries spanning every letter of the alphabet, with essays from notable Southern writers

Genres: Nonfiction, Southern, Reference, Travel, Food, History, American History

400 pages, Hardcover

Published October 24, 2017

Reviews

[Desiree Reads · Rating 2 out of 5]

Fun idea. Well presented in an attractive book. Some interesting topics. Failing too much, however, in objectivity of historical topics - swept along with current views that are "what everyone knows" at this one moment in time.

[Tom Mathews · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a an avowed Yankee who suddenly found himself the moderator of a southern literary book group, I was in desperate need of an education on all things southern. Although I still have a lot to learn, this provided a lot of very valuable information. I listened to the audio version of this book which was fine, but as it is essentially a reference guide, I may break down and get a print copy of this book. I highly recommend this, regardless of your knowledge level. I guarantee you that there is something in hear that is new to you.

[Thomas · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was born in the South and I've spent the vast majority of my life in the South, but my formative years were spent above the Mason-Dixon line and even Europe, for a time. As such, I constantly fight this feeling of being a faux Southerner.

When I came across this book, I thought it'd be a perfect way to fill in some gaps in my knowledge of the South. You can't help picking stuff up when you live in an area, so most of this was a refresher, but I did come away with a list of musicians I want to listen to, and books I'd like to read.

Most of the entries in the book are quick and bite-sized, so you can read a few entries here and there. Some, though, wax a little long. Since I borrowed it from the library, I read it from front to back, like a novel, but it'd probably be better appreciated as something you dip into from time to time.

[Cindy Overcast · Rating 5 out of 5]

Having been born and raised in the South, I read this book with the curiosity of one who knows the lay of the land, so to speak. Southerners will recognize many of the contributing authors to this culture encyclopedia and will surely relish their essays and recollections as they would a glass of sweet iced tea on a hot summer day. With nearly five hundred topics from A to Z, there is something for everyone. The book not only made me nostalgic for simpler times, it made me laugh while teaching me more about the region I call home. Y'all give it a read and let me know what you think.

[Carol Stephan · Rating 4 out of 5]

An encyclopedic format for all things Southern--well, the editor who put this together states no book could include every aspect but this certainly has more than enough to satisfy and there are a host of contributors. Southerners should enjoy reading about their culture and Northerners may learn a lot. This is a fun book to read in bits and pieces, a good coffee table book, or a nice gift.

I received this book for free through Goodreads First Reads.

[Lucy · Rating 4 out of 5]

fun and really interesting. Recommended for those who were born in or live in the South and those who don't have that benefit who are interested.
Lots of stuff I didn't know, well told, sometimes by people I've heard of. Talks of interesting places and people and odd habits of southerners. Too much to focus on individual things: discover them for yourself.

[Wendell Barnes · Rating 5 out of 5]

As comprehensive as can be! I cannot imagine what might have been left out! As a lifelong Southerner, these articles filled in many gaps of phrases I had heard of all my life but was not sure of the meanings or contexts of. Sprinkled with tongue in cheek humor throughout, I hated for it to end. Loved every minute of this joyous tribute to my native land!

[Alan · Rating 4 out of 5]

There are some great entries. As a damn Yankee, here's a short list of my favorites, for the subject, for the writing, or both.
Accent; Berry, Wendell; Brown, Larry; Butter Beans; Florida Highwaymen; Hatch Show Print; Milk Punch; Painkiller; Percy, Walker. Pot Likker; Rural Studio; Southernisms, as in "It's so hot I saw two trees fighting over a dog"; Jackson, Stonewall, and his arm; Tabby; Toole, John Kennedy; Twain, Mark, and "a wooden leg"; Weeki Wachee Mermaids.

[Jesse D · Rating 3 out of 5]

I often wished the entries went into more detail, but it's been a fun and interesting book to keep on the back of the toilet.

[Kes Townsend · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good synopsis of many Southern things and ideas.

[Mary C · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm not finished with this one but what an awesome read!

[Nick Roark · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hilarious

[Meg]

Great information for any person interested in visiting the southern states.

[E G Melby · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some interesting info

[Amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved this book- it was such a fun read. 4.5 stars.

[Judi · Rating 4 out of 5]

An edifying, informational publication - all my roots and favorites are tidily explained for a casual audience.

[Keli Wright · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was tedious and just ok. He pronounced a lot of stuff wrong and it had a lot of stuff about New Orleans.

[Jessica · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love Garden and Gun magazine, so I couldn't wait to check out this new book. Having grown up in the South, I love all things Southern and this book definitely does not disappoint. It covers everything from famous people, places, foods, ideas - there wasn't anything that I thought was missing from this book. I definitely learned some things too - I didn't know the Foxfire books started as a high school project or that people want their ashes kept in Duke's mayonnaise jars! This would make a great gift or addition to your bookshelf at home. Whether you're a Southerner from birth or it's your adopted home, this is a great book that really celebrates everything about the South.

Some favorite quotes:

Accent: "The Southern accent is one of our nation's greatest treasures. Its beauty rivals that of a songbird or the most resonant cello...There's a Northern accent as well, and it's easily distinguishable from a Southern accent the same way a paper bag full of broken glass is distinguishable from a cashmere scarf." (p. 2-3)

Foxfire: "Beginning in 1966, high-school students in Rabun County, Georgia, ventured out of the classroom to interview the elders of their mountain communities. The oral history project wound up becoming a social documentary on an epic scale, catalogued in more than a dozen best-selling Foxfire books now considered an invaluable archive of Southern Appalachian life and culture." (p. 101)

Gone With the Wind: "Thirty million or so copies later, Margaret Mitchell's sweeping 1936 historical novel, and its Oscar-winning film adaptation, leave a complicated legacy...Still, Vivian Leigh's Scarlett and Clark Gable's Rhett immortalized Mitchell's memorable duo for decades to come, inspiring official and unofficial sequels, spin-offs, parodies, painted porcelain, dolls, conventions, doodads, gewgaws, a famous Carol Burnett sketch, and legions of superfans called Windies. A 2014 Harris Poll reinforced the story's unfading popularity, ranking GWTW as the second-most-popular book in America - just behind the Bible." (p. 111)

Mayonnaise: "For a good number of Southerners, there's no such thing as mayonnaise. There is only Duke's Mayonnaise, made according to the sugarless recipe that Eugenia Duke of Greenville, South Carolina, devised in 1917...Mayonnaise is such a constant in Southern life that at least a few Southerners want it to be part of the hereafter, too: Duke's regularly hears from customers who want their remains forever kept in a Duke's jar." (p. 186)

Palmetto Bugs: "Exterminators will tell you there's a difference between species, but in the South, you can confidently call any cockroach longer than your thumb joint (knuckle to nail) a palmetto bug. Or, more likely, scream, 'Palmetto buggg!' as it scuttles at up to twenty miles per hour across the floor like the winged spawn of Satan that it is." (p. 227)

[Addy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was a nice overview, and when I mean overview, I mean overview. I wanted to read this book to reconnect with my southern roots of my parents. They are from Mississippi and they came to Chicago during the very last years of The Great Migration. There were some great definitions (russian tea, sleeping porch, seer sucker, meat and three, rice spoon, western swing etc). But there were one definition that was flat out wrong: Soul Food. The creators of the book basically say it's high and sugar, salt, and fat, when it's actually the opposite. It's very vegetarian. And that's fine that they discuss those high calorie foods, but know it should have been noted those are HOLIDAY FOODS. Not the everyday soul food people ate or eat today. Kinda like the foods served in fast food restaurants, (like hamburgers, pizza, and hotdog) aren't everyday foods from European immigrants, they are holiday foods. Soul food is not only high in vegetables, but it's high in the number of soups (benne soup, peanut soup, etc), and fish.

I just wanted to say that as an African-American.

My last bone to pick is the lack of African-American culture which really does make up a sizeable portion of southern culture. Brier Rabbit wasn't in this book. I was very shocked about that. Neither was Bouki. Another shock. But Uncle Remus, a racist caricature, was included. I know the creators are probably all white and the audience is probably going to be mostly white, but you can't ignore that all African-Americans have southern roots and we're a sizable portion of the south. And when you've been living with African-Americans for 400 years with their cultural contributions, it kinda baffles the mind how so much was left out.

Other definitions I was surprised was not in the book: Homecoming, Homegoing, HBCU, Howard University (The black Harvard), Bennett University (The Vassar of the South), Wake, Boo-hag, Hully Gully (the game and the song), Hoodoo, Voodoo, Cookout, Cookout music, Hibiscus tea, Martin Luther King Jr., Medgar Evers, Hosea Williams, John Lewis, Jesse Jackson & Al Sharpton*, Fanny Lou Hammer, Coming of Age in Mississippi, Benne Bit (a spicy cookie), the word “Lil”, Stomp and Shake, Banjo, Chitlin Circut, Monkey Jug, Negro Spirituals, Jumping the Broom, Funeral Rituals, Ibo Landing, Southern Baptist, Cogic, Twerk, Line Dancing, Beyonce (I'm not a stan I swear, but she is southern), James Brown, The Great Migration or The Second Great Migration.

I was hoping these definitions would be included so I could learn more, I honestly had to learn the aforementioned words and phrases on the street, social media, or through books as an adult. Honestly, if even half of these words and phrases were included I would have rated this book 5 stars, but this book left way too much out.

*I may be asking for too much here as most white southerners probably hate these two.

[Marie Zahnle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun read, some entries written by notable authors. A book to pick up, enjoy, read at random

[David Ward · Rating 3 out of 5]

S is for Southern: A Guide to the South, From Absinthe to Zydeco by Garden & Gun and David DiBennedetto (Harper Collins 2017) (975).
This is it. The editors of Garden & Gun have published the quintessential encyclopedia of all-things-Southern. I defy anyone to name a particularly Southern institution or idiom that the authors have neglected to include. Well, other than Pepsi-Cola (invented in New Bern, North Carolina), and other than a few mislabeled factual howlers (e.g., the entry on “Tailgating” highlights a few of the most famous Southern tailgating venues; the authors mistakenly refer to “...the flotilla known as the Volunteer Army bobbing outside Neyland Stadium at the University of Tennessee.” While those of us in Knoxville appreciate the tip of the cap to our University of Tennessee football traditions, any college football knows that the boats that ferry UT fans to UT home football games are referred to as “The Volunteer Navy”, not “The Volunteer Army.”) Harrumph.
That picky critique aside, I found this to be a well-written and highly entertaining read. I've lived my whole life in the South (so far), and I endorse this volume, ya'll. My rating: 7/10, finished 5/12/18.

[Josh · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great writing and a fun read. The narrator had some strange pronunciations of some words that made me think he wasn’t Southern. Being a Nashville native, I found it to be annoying but not a deal breaker.

[Nicole | · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a fun little guide with history and explanations of many Southern people, places and things. As a recent transplant to the South, it was a fun little glimpse into some history to dip in and out of.

[MaryBeth Long · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fascinating and well done.

[Nancy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a fun and informative collection of essays from America's notable Southern writers.

[Michael Paynter · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book contains insightful articles from POVs as diverse as the flora, fauna, food, and people that make up the American South