When prize-winning war correspondent Tony Horwitz leaves the battlefields of Bosnia and the Middle East for a peaceful corner of the Blue Ridge Mountains, he thinks he's put war zones behind him. But awakened one morning by the crackle of musket fire, Horwitz starts filing front-line dispatches again this time from a war close to home, and to his own heart. Propelled by his boyhood passion for the Civil War, Horwitz embarks on a search for places and people still held in thrall by America's greatest conflict. The result is an adventure into the soul of the unvanquished South, where the ghosts of the Lost Cause are resurrected through ritual and remembrance. In Virginia, Horwitz joins a band of 'hardcore' reenactors who crash-diet to achieve the hollow-eyed look of starved Confederates; in Kentucky, he witnesses Klan rallies and calls for race war sparked by the killing of a white man who brandishes a rebel flag; at Andersonville, he finds that the prison's commander, executed as a war criminal, is now exalted as a martyr and hero; and in the book's climax, Horwitz takes a marathon trek from Antietam to Gettysburg to Appomattox in the company of Robert Lee Hodge, an eccentric pilgrim who dubs their odyssey the 'Civil Wargasm.' Written with Horwitz's signature blend of humor, history, and hard-nosed journalism, Confederates in the Attic brings alive old battlefields and new ones 'classrooms, courts, country bars' where the past and the present collide, often in explosive ways. Poignant and picaresque, haunting and hilarious, it speaks to anyone who has ever felt drawn to the mythic South and to the dark romance of the Civil War.
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"After waking up one morning at his Virginia home to the sounds of a Civil War reenactment, Tony Horwitz launches a search to find out how the Civil War is viewed and remembered in the American South. In his quest, he spent time with a band of really hard-core Confederate reenactors who went on crash diets to get the authentic look of starved soldiers who had been on lengthy campaigns. He also attended a Ku Klux Klan rally in Kentucky, an American history class in Selma, Alabama, and traveled from Antietam to Gettyburg, to Appomattox (a Civil Wargasm) with his friend, Robert Lee Hodge. Along his year-long investigation, he examined how the Civil War is remembered among white Southerners and African-Americans in that region. A funny, moving, and heartwarmingly informative book."
— Judy (4 out of 5 stars)
" The narrator did a great job, but there are large chunks, and even a whole chapter missing from the book. "
— Garrett, 12/8/2015" One of the best reads of all time. An interesting perspective about how the South still views the "War of Northern Aggression". "
— Benjamin, 2/19/2014" Rarely does a book merit 5 stars. This one does and is just fantastic. I learned more about the American Civil War in this read than in all my years in High School and college. "
— Dan, 2/9/2014" Too much emphasis on the most extreme elements in society. "
— April, 1/31/2014" Learning lots about the Civil War which of course is still alive and often discussed in the South. To them, the slavery issue was not as important as other issues. "
— Marialanni, 1/21/2014" I never thought this topic could interest me, which says a lot for the book/author. "
— Khaya, 1/16/2014" This is really fascinating so far--an unconventional look at the memory of the war, particularly in rural areas. I'm not all the way finished with it, but if his other books are anything to go by, this will only get better. "
— Kachina, 1/15/2014" Makes the history of the Civil War totally accessible. "
— Teresa, 12/23/2013" Someone lent me this book and made sure I read it before moving to the south from the midwest. Very eye-opening. "
— Megan, 12/9/2013" I read this book prior to my recent trip to Charleston and really enjoyed it. It's a fascinating look at southern people who are still obsessed with the Civil War. Some parts of the book were quite funny but reading how prejudiced many still are in the rural south was a bit depressing. "
— Nancy, 11/14/2013" I don't usually read non-fiction but I really enjoyed this book. The writing was journalistic and moved along very well and the stories were both fascinating and informative. "
— Nicola, 11/6/2013" Made me move to the South! "
— Sara, 10/20/2013" I thought this book was an intelligently written, witty take on the contemporary South. I laughed several times while reading the book, mostly from understanding as the author seeks to explain some of the more "peculiar" Southern ways, such as some people's unending fascination with the Civil War. "
— Amber, 9/23/2013" God, my fellow southerners can be disturbing. Nevertheless, what a fascinating glimpse into the world of the Civil War reenactor. I've never really understood it or cared much about it. But, I can sense why it's important to them. I just can't articulate it. "
— Kelly, 7/15/2013" There are whites who will still say that slavery wasn't bad. "
— Jeffrey, 3/27/2013" Great study of the lingering memory of the Civil War, and the spooky wasteland that is the lower South. I would assign this if I ever taught a class about memory, the Civil War, or the post-war South. "
— Andrew, 12/29/2012" I admire the investigative approach of this author. I couldn't have endured visiting all those reinactments. "
— Karen, 10/22/2012" A must read for anybody living in the South (and everybody else). "
— Silke, 10/10/2012" An engaging and interesting read about the Civil War's impressions on modern-day Southern culture. The best parts of the books involved eccentrics and break the monotomy of another book about a great American antinomy. "
— A., 6/22/2012" Bailed out half way through, not enough historical meat in this to keep me interested. Horowitz's hilarious chapter on camping with hard-core reneactors and his interview of Shelby Foote are were highlights for me. "
— Ross, 5/10/2012" An older book that I just finished. I enjoy creative non-fiction and this combined travel literature with interesting social commentary and some history thrown in. "
— Tasha, 11/11/2011" This book started out as a really fun read, however after 200 pages it became very repeative. "
— Ali, 11/2/2011" It was very interesting for me because I had traveled and visited most of the places described thought my experiences were obviously different. "
— Conrad, 7/17/2011" If I could rate it lower, I definitely would!!!! "
— Clara, 5/18/2011" Great, entertaining insight into Civil War memory in the American South. As a complete Yankee, it was like visiting a foreign land. Horwitz is a gifted writer and the pace is great. "
— Michele, 5/9/2011" Just a great book. Hilarious, offensive, poignant and populated with colorful characters (some of them downright frightening), this book is as good as any history lesson on the Civil War, Southern culture, the Lost Cause and America. "
— Ralph, 5/2/2011" Wonderful book. The author researches South's view of the Civil War, accompanies reinactors, and visits Civil War battlefields. Many parts of this book reminded me of my brother, who was very into the Civil War when he was a child. I definitely want to read more by this author at some point. "
— Susan, 5/1/2011" A terrific book! I'm really looking forward to teaching with it. And I would give just about anything to witness a meeting of the Cats of the Confederacy. "
— Nicole, 4/30/2011" this book was stupid and so boring "
— Hanna, 4/23/2011" Good sociological travelogue. Will not be of interest to many outside or have no interests in the South. Memory is kept alive. Problem: Whose memory is it?<br/>BTW: I don't give 5 Stars very often - if I have here, yet. "
— Tinkwelborn, 4/7/2011" A very delightful book! I love travelogues, but this one is just amazing. I almost can’t even believe the events occurred the way they did. The most touching moment were his reflections on shouting at the Black Woman in Selma. How sad and true. "
— James, 4/1/2011Tony Horwitz (1958–2019) was the New York Times bestselling author of several books, including Midnight Rising, A Voyage Long and Strange, Blue Latitudes, Confederates in the Attic, and Baghdad Without a Map. He was a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist who worked for the Wall Street Journal and New Yorker. He had also been a fellow at the Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study and president of the Society of American Historians.
Michael Beck is an American actor and audiobook narrator. He is best known for his role in the 1979 film The Warriors. He has narrated numerous novels by John Grisham, as well as Confederates in the Attic by Tony Horwitz and My Life by Bill Clinton. He lives in California.