Queen of the Turtle Derby and Other Southern Phenomena: Includes New Essays Published for the First Time

In classic Dixie storytelling fashion, with a rare blend of literary elegance and plainspoken humor, the inimitably charming, staunchly Southern Julia Reed wends her way below the Mason-Dixon line and observes many phenomena– from politics, religion, and women to weather, guns, and what she calls “drinking and other Southern pursuits.” To hear Reed tell it, the South is another country. She builds an entertaining and persuasive case, using as examples everything from its unfathomable codes of conduct to its disciplined fashion sense. And then there is Southern food, which is an entire world apart: Gumbo, grits, greens, and, of course, fried chicken make memorable appearances in Reed’s essays, which will amuse, delight, and even explain a thing or two to baffled Yankees everywhere.

Mysterious ways
Eat here
Trigger happiness
To live and die in Dixie
Lady killers
American beauty
Southern fashion explained
Cat fight
Whiskey weather
On soggy ground
The real first lady
George Jones, Inc
Tender mercies
Tough love
Queen for a day
Miss Scarlett
Member of the club
License to kill
Bird song
A plague on our houses
That’s entertainment!
The morning after
Snake world
Color me red
A reader’s guide