Inside Alabama: A Personal History of My State (Alabama Fire Ant) [Paperback]

Harvey H. Jackson III (Author)

Product Details

• Paperback: 304 pages
• Publisher: Fire Ant Books (January 9, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0817350683
• ISBN-13: 978-0817350680
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6.1 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,222,159 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Must read for any Alabama voter, June 13, 2004

By 

"ckwhitten" (Birmingham, Alabama) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Inside Alabama: A Personal History of My State (Alabama Fire Ant) (Paperback)

I enjoyed this book from the Creek Indians until the end. The book ended just before Alabamians would hopefully vote for a better Alabama, however, tax reform we don't have, so business is the same as usual in Alabama. I guess the state has too many "Wal-Mart Republicans." I think the book was a very interesting and educational read. It is not boring like a text book history. It will give you quite an insight on Alabama politics in 1901and 2004, unfortunately not much change has been made. There is so much I could say, but I might be telling too much and I think the readers should draw their own conclusions. However, I do think it should be required reading before any Alabamian is allowed to vote in the State of Alabama!

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars WONDERFUL!, September 2, 2006

By 

A. L. Vernon (Anniston, AL USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Inside Alabama: A Personal History of My State (Alabama Fire Ant) (Paperback)

This book is great! It is full of knowledge and is written in a fun, easy-to-read style! I have had classes with the author. Dr. Jackson writes just as he speaks. A must have for any Alabamian.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Moving, December 7, 2011

By 

M. J. Keel (Somewhere in the Far East) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Inside Alabama: A Personal History of My State (Alabama Fire Ant) (Paperback)

In his forward Professor Jacksons called himself a "expatriate" from Alabama for much of his adult life. He went on to relate that often times he found himself defending, or at least attempting to explain, Alabama to bewildered people of the states where he lived. Since then he has moved back to Alabama to teach, and his attempts to defend/explain his home state produced this book. I, like Professor Jackson, am an "expatriate" Alabamian and I too have had to defend/explain my home state. This has led to much soul searching, and this book has been immensely helpful to me, and I think it will be helpful to anyone who wants to understand the colorful, strange, beautiful, flawed, and enigmatic state of Alabama.

Stating from the outset that he has biases and that he did not try to hide them at all, Professor wrote this book as the recipient of story-telling traditions that historians seldom voice. In folksy language the author tells the story of Alabama from pre-historic times to the turn of the 21st century. He paints his picture in vivid words and broad brush strokes as this is a work for popular audiences. Yet, despite the broadness of his topic, he offers penetrating analyses about trends and people in Alabama history. This is where his bias comes out, but rather than detracting from the story it offers color and a glimpse into the mind and heart of someone who loves and is at times frustrated by his beloved state. His obvious care for Alabama and its people, as well as his flare for telling stories, left me moved at the end even as I disagreed with him on some political/philosophical points. That valuable combination of good story telling with acknowledge bias leads me to a healthy grappling with ingrained assumptions we all need to re-examine, especially those of us who love Alabama even if we don't live there for now. After reading this I feel like I have a better handle on my poor white, working class forebears even as I work through my middle-class, college educated assumptions.