Customer Reviews

Alabama: The History of a Deep South State

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This is truly one of the most comprehensive histories of Alabama I have encountered. From the first settlement by Native Americans to the confusing, and most times laughable, political present of the "state" of Alabama. Dr. Wayne Flynt, Professor Emeritus at the University of Auburn, writes the final section of this book which covers the socio-economical status and political machinations of Alabama from the early 1900's through the present. He has a clear insight of where Alabama has been historically and where she must go to contribute significantly to her people and her nation. A must read for anyone who votes in Alabama and a must read for those who envision a new and brighter history for Alabama.

Alabama has a turbulent history. I hate to use clichés, but in this case the word "turbulent" really fits. In fact, Alabama's history is so politically charged and divisive that no scholar dared touch it for 60 years. This book is the first comprehensive history of the state written since Moore's HISTORY OF ALABAMA of 1934. An awful lot has happened since then.

This book does justice to the state and its fascinating, if not always comfortable, history. It enjoys the intellectual resources of four notable scholars, with paths variously intersecting at Auburn University. It's a political and social history, divided into four chronologically arranged sections, each written by one of the four. The coverage of early Alabama settlement and consolidation is a bit thin, the narrative rushing somewhat to reach secession, but the rest of the book is rock solid, up until about 1992.

All the topics you expect to be in here are: Cotton prosperity, The Civil War, Reconstruction, the Great Depression, the Jim Crow Era, Civil Rights, and modern economic development. There are also a few nice surprises too, such as good studies of the development of education in the state, the role of women during the many wars, and the tense balance between agricultural populism and industrial growth. It's a well-written, comprehensive study that presents the state in a critical but respectful light. And since the standards of scholarship are high, the reader should expect criticism where criticism is due. The authors use their sharp narrative skills with the support of appropriate data to test hypotheses and reach conclusions that are difficult to refute. It's an enjoyable casual read, but also a rigorous analysis. This is history done well.

As good as any of the other Southern state histories (better than most, actually), this book should be included in the library of any amateur or professional Southern historian.

The most comprehensive history of Alabama I have found on amazon. It covers a large period, from Native Americans to present.

A must read for anyone who loves Alabama also if not American like me (I'M Italian).

My book arrived in excellent condition. I'm not through reading it yet, but have already gleaned some understanding about the conditions my ancestors were faced with in this state from settlement right through today. A good reference source.

Well-presented and easy to reference, this thoroughly-researched book has everything an historian needs at his fingertips.

The book arrived quickly and in excellent condition. It looks like a brand new book. I am very pleased with the book and the seller. Thanks Amazon!

This is a very good history of Alabama book. I was a little biased at first, because my father is mentioned several times, but after reading the book, I can honestly say that it is a great book, despite my father being written about in it.

This books gives a great autobiography of the state of Alabama, filled with tons of useless dates and names of people who had no lasting impact on the state. Anything and anybody plus their family history that had something to do with Alabama is crammed into one chapter. The book is struggle to read and hard to keep up with.