Chris Nicholson's Writing Weblog
November 13, 2004 • Saturday
A travel story on CNN.com today reports on how Civil War re-enactments have become such a tourist attraction that some towns are subsidizing the events. (See "Civil War re-enactments foster tourism.")
Why do I mention this? Because it reminds me of one of my favorite non-fiction books, Confederates in the Attic, by Tony Horwitz. In a nutshell, the book follows Horwitz while he drives around the southern United States asking people why they're still mad about the Civil War. He also researches and reports on people so fanatic about holding onto to that part of our history that they periodically live as Civil War-era soldiers, dressing in period clothes, eating period food, and partaking in mock battles to commemorate our forefathers who fought in the war.
These people, in many circles, are mainly made fun of. But after reading Horwitz' book, I better appreciate the passion that drives them to what they do.
The book is a great read. It's funny. It's insightful. It's downright interesting. I learned much about the Civil War that my grammar school teachers never mentioned. And after reading Confederates ..., I stopped wondering why southerners don't "just get over it."
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