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The Fall of the House of Dixie: The Civil War and the Social Revolution That Transformed the South Audiobook, by Bruce Levine Play Audiobook Sample

The Fall of the House of Dixie: The Civil War and the Social Revolution That Transformed the South Audiobook

The Fall of the House of Dixie: The Civil War and the Social Revolution That Transformed the South Audiobook, by Bruce Levine Play Audiobook Sample
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Read By: Peter Jay Fernandez Publisher: Recorded Books, Inc. Listen Time: at 1.0x Speed 9.33 hours at 1.5x Speed 7.00 hours at 2.0x Speed Release Date: January 2013 Format: Unabridged Audiobook ISBN: 9781470337025

Quick Stats About this Audiobook

Total Audiobook Chapters:

38

Longest Chapter Length:

29:38 minutes

Shortest Chapter Length:

02:38 minutes

Average Chapter Length:

22:02 minutes

Audiobooks by this Author:

2

Other Audiobooks Written by Bruce Levine: > View All...

Publisher Description

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.

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"Very interesting treatment of a complex subject. The slave economy of the pre-Civil War South gave the relatively small number of large scale slave owners enormous wealth and with it enormous political clout, such that I don't think most people today realize just how much sway they had over American politics and policy. In some respects the situation was not dissimilar from today's concentration of wealth and the use of that wealth by a minority to influence policy to favor themselves, sometime over the common good. Even the large mass of non-slave owning Southerners favored slavery, since they saw the hope of eventually becoming slave owners as the way out of the subsistence farming that was the lot of the majority of them. At the same time, they developed an almost surreal mythology to justify keeping the slaves in bondage because it was God's plan, the slaves were like children and couldn't take care of themselves, and the slaves were happy with their lot and loyal to their masters. The other, contradictory side of the coin was the pervasive fear of slave rebellions and the need to keep them firmly under control.In the North, the war began not as a war to free the slaves but as a war to preserve the Union. Racism was as endemic there as elsewhere. Lincoln came into office with no intention of doing more than trying to restrict the spread of slavery. As the war progressed, abolition became first a war measure to chip away at the economic underpinnings of the Southern economy. The Emancipation Proclamation only freed slaves in the parts of the country under Confederate control. Lincoln couldn't afford to alienate slave owners in the slave holding border states that remained loyal to the Union. But once the process of liberation started, and as more Northerners were exposed the reality of slavery the movement to abolish slavery entirely gathered momentum. One of the great irony of the war was the attitude of the large slave holders who were obsessed with preserving their property, to the point of resisting efforts of the Confederate government to requisition their slaves for labor in support of the armies and paying taxes in kind to support the war."

— Charles (4 out of 5 stars)

Quotes

  • “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
  • “[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
  • “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 
  • “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
  • “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 
  • “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
  • “A deep, rich, and complex analysis of the period surrounding and including the American Civil War...Enlightening.”

    — Publishers Weekly
  • “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
  • “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
  • “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
  • “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
  • “A sensitive, informed rendering of the wrenching reformation of the South.”

    — Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
  • “Masterful...Levine’s employment of testimonies by slaveholders, slaves, and pro-Union Southerners is effective and often poignant.”

    — Booklist

The Fall of the House of Dixie Listener Reviews

Overall Performance: 3.7142857142857144 out of 53.7142857142857144 out of 53.7142857142857144 out of 53.7142857142857144 out of 53.7142857142857144 out of 5 (3.71)
5 Stars: 5
4 Stars: 3
3 Stars: 4
2 Stars: 1
1 Stars: 1
Narration: 0 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 5 (0.00)
5 Stars: 0
4 Stars: 0
3 Stars: 0
2 Stars: 0
1 Stars: 0
Story: 0 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 5 (0.00)
5 Stars: 0
4 Stars: 0
3 Stars: 0
2 Stars: 0
1 Stars: 0
Write a Review
  • Overall Performance: 5 out of 55 out of 55 out of 55 out of 55 out of 5 Narration Rating: 0 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 5 Story Rating: 0 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 5

    " Yes it was all about slavery "

    — Standup2p, 2/20/2014
  • Overall Performance: 3 out of 53 out of 53 out of 53 out of 53 out of 5 Narration Rating: 0 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 5 Story Rating: 0 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 5

    " This took way too long to read. It was interesting material but not very engaging in the storytelling. In fact, at times it read like a textbook, which is why it took me so long to get through it. "

    — Jessica, 2/18/2014
  • Overall Performance: 1 out of 51 out of 51 out of 51 out of 51 out of 5 Narration Rating: 0 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 5 Story Rating: 0 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 5

    " Didn't finish it - it is interesting, but not a story, and that was what I was in the mood for. "

    — Christie, 2/14/2014
  • Overall Performance: 5 out of 55 out of 55 out of 55 out of 55 out of 5 Narration Rating: 0 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 5 Story Rating: 0 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 5

    " Wonderful addition to the study of the social history of the Civil War. "

    — Susan, 2/8/2014
  • Overall Performance: 4 out of 54 out of 54 out of 54 out of 54 out of 5 Narration Rating: 0 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 5 Story Rating: 0 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 5

    " Really enjoyable read about how Southern culture and social structures affected the Civil War. Lots of anecdotes mixed in with the statistics to keep things interesting! "

    — Mara, 1/15/2014
  • Overall Performance: 2 out of 52 out of 52 out of 52 out of 52 out of 5 Narration Rating: 0 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 5 Story Rating: 0 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 5

    " Interesting subject. Great title. Poorly written. Don't waste your time. "

    — Greg, 12/29/2013
  • Overall Performance: 3 out of 53 out of 53 out of 53 out of 53 out of 5 Narration Rating: 0 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 5 Story Rating: 0 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 5

    " Started with a bang: how did the people of the south moralize their position? Great quotes fr diaries of people who were there, explaining their viewpoints. Unfortunately it dissipates from there into a long laundry list of facts, skirmishes and dates. "

    — Heather, 10/23/2013
  • Overall Performance: 5 out of 55 out of 55 out of 55 out of 55 out of 5 Narration Rating: 0 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 5 Story Rating: 0 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 5

    " A wonderful analysis of the Civil War and its roots in slavery and its effect on the black and white populations of the North and the South "

    — Nat, 9/2/2013
  • Overall Performance: 3 out of 53 out of 53 out of 53 out of 53 out of 5 Narration Rating: 0 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 5 Story Rating: 0 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 5

    " I thought I knew a good deal about the civil war, but I learned many new things by reading this book. Makes me very glad that I did not have to live through this hate filled time. "

    — Karolyn, 8/12/2013
  • Overall Performance: 5 out of 55 out of 55 out of 55 out of 55 out of 5 Narration Rating: 0 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 5 Story Rating: 0 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 5

    " Well researched fabulous book! I learned more than ever knew about the Civil War, and I thought I knew a great deal! "

    — Lori, 5/5/2013
  • Overall Performance: 5 out of 55 out of 55 out of 55 out of 55 out of 5 Narration Rating: 0 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 5 Story Rating: 0 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 5

    " Ken Burns left out some things Must read "

    — Julia, 5/3/2013
  • Overall Performance: 4 out of 54 out of 54 out of 54 out of 54 out of 5 Narration Rating: 0 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 5 Story Rating: 0 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 5

    " This is a very interesting discussion of the fall of slavery. Though I've read a lot about the Civil War, I never before realized how much slavery was falling apart as the war progressed. I highly recommend this book. "

    — Lynn, 3/4/2013
  • Overall Performance: 4 out of 54 out of 54 out of 54 out of 54 out of 5 Narration Rating: 0 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 5 Story Rating: 0 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 5

    " Not bad some surprises. Quick read "

    — John, 2/19/2013
  • Overall Performance: 3 out of 53 out of 53 out of 53 out of 53 out of 5 Narration Rating: 0 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 5 Story Rating: 0 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 5

    " An interesting read on the life of the South: Social, and economical was during and after the Civil War. "

    — Steve, 1/29/2013

About Bruce Levine

Bruce Levine is the bestselling author of four books on the Civil War era, including The Fall of the House of Dixie and Confederate Emancipation, which received the Peter Seaborg Award for Civil War Scholarship and was named one of the top ten works of nonfiction of its year by the Washington Post. He is a professor emeritus of history at the University of Illinois.

About Peter Jay Fernandez

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.