Join us in-person or on Zoom for a book discussion of South to America by Imani Perry!

An essential, surprising journey through the history, rituals, and landscapes of the American South—and a revelatory argument for why you must understand the South in order to understand America.

We all think we know the South. Even those who have never lived there can rattle off a list of signifiers: the Civil War, Gone with the Wind, the Ku Klux Klan, plantations, football, Jim Crow, slavery. But the idiosyncrasies, dispositions, and habits of the region are stranger and more complex than much of the country tends to acknowledge. In South to America, Imani Perry shows that the meaning of American is inextricably linked with the South, and that our understanding of its history and culture is the key to understanding the nation as a whole.

This is the story of a Black woman and native Alabaman returning to the region she has always called home and considering it with fresh eyes. Her journey is full of detours, deep dives, and surprising encounters with places and people. She renders Southerners from all walks of life with sensitivity and honesty, sharing her thoughts about a troubling history and the ritual humiliations and joys that characterize so much of Southern life.

Click this link to search for the book in our catalog and place a hold on it.

Register for this book discussion using the form below. If attending virtually, you’ll receive the link to the Zoom meeting in an email confirmation of your registration.

Please email Jennifer at jrusche@mclinc.org for assistance in accessing Zoom on your smart device, computer or by calling in on your telephone.

Closed captioning for this event made possible by the Mary Knowles Technology Fund of the Friends of William Jeanes Memorial Library.