The J. G. Randall Distinguished Professor of History at the University of Illinois and associate editor of North and South magazine, Bruce Levine presents a gripping chronicle of the cultural and economic upheaval the South experienced during and after the Civil War. Drawing upon a treasure trove of diaries, letters, newspaper articles, and government documents, Levine offers a unique perspective on the old South's demise through the voices of those who lived through the conflict.
About the Author :
Bruce Levine, professor emeritus of history, is the author of books on the Civil War era, including Confederate Emancipation, winner of the Peter Seaborg Award and named a Washington Post top nonfiction book of the year.
Peter Jay Fernandez is an accomplished audiobook narrator who has won three AudioFile Earphones Awards and an Audie Award in 2009. He has also appeared on television, film, and stage. His appearances include roles in Law & Order, Law & Order: Criminal Intent, and the musical Thunder Knocking on the Door.
Review :
"[The Fall of the House of Dixie] will delight and disturb--and provide much needed clarity as Americans take a fresh look at the meaning of the Civil War."
-- "Ronald C. White, Jr., New York Times bestselling author of A. Lincoln "
"A deep, rich, and complex analysis of the period surrounding and including the American Civil War...Enlightening."
-- "Publishers Weekly"
"A gripping, lucid grassroots history of the Civil War that declines the strict use of great battles and Big Men as its fulcrum, opting instead for the people...In the tradition of James McPherson, Levine has produced a book that is a work of both history and literature."
-- "Ta-Nehisi Coates, author of The Beautiful Struggle "
"A sensitive, informed rendering of the wrenching reformation of the South."
-- "Kirkus Reviews (starred review) "
"Bruce Levine vividly traces the origins of the 'slaveholders' rebellion' and its dramatic wartime collapse. With this book, he confirms his standing among the leading Civil War historians of our time."
-- "James Oakes, author of Freedom National"
"Eloquent and illuminating...Shifting away from traditional accounts that emphasize generals and campaigns, Levine instead offers a brilliant and provocative analysis of the way in which slaves and non-elite whites transformed the conflict into a second American Revolution."
-- "Douglas R. Egerton, author of Year of Meteors "
"Levine illuminates the experiences of southern men and women--white and black, free and enslaved, civilians, and soldiers--with a sure grasp of the historical sources and a deft literary touch. He masterfully recaptures an era of unsurpassed drama and importance."
-- "Gary W. Gallagher, author of The Confederate War "
"Levine's engrossing story chronicles the collapse of a doomed republic--the Confederate States of America--built on the unstable sands of delusion, cruelty, and folly."
-- "Adam Goodheart, New York Times bestselling author of 1861: The Civil War Awakening "
"Masterful...Levine's employment of testimonies by slaveholders, slaves, and pro-Union Southerners is effective and often poignant."
-- "Booklist"
"The idea that Southern secession was unconnected to the defense of slavery has a surprising hold on the popular historical imagination, North and South. Levine's demolition of such a misapprehension profoundly succeeds as both argument and drama."
-- "David Roediger, coauthor of The Production of Difference "
"The story of a war waged off the battlefield, a war of politics and ideology that transformed both Southern and Northern culture unfolds brilliantly in the able hands of this fine historian."
-- "Carol Berkin, author of Revolutionary Mothers"
"This book limns the relationship between slavery and the rise and fall of the Confederacy more clearly and starkly than any other study. General readers and seasoned scholars alike will find new information and insights in this eye-opening account."
-- "James M. McPherson, New York Times bestselling author of Battle Cry of Freedom "
"Thorough, convincing, and, in a word, brilliant. Our understanding of this central event in American history will never be the same."
-- "Marcus Rediker, author of The Slave Ship"
