Rooted in the red clay of middle Tennessee and in the lives of working-class people who exalt their southern heritage, the poems in OUT OF THE SOUTH look unflinchingly at the life of a poor white boy instilled with a ferocious pride and taught to be a racist. These lyric poems form a coherent narrative that begins in the segregated 1950's and follows its narrator forward into his own separated life. Self-exiled from the place of his birth for nearly a quarter-century, Bowers recalls the blotched history of the region and personal moments that implicate him in a past he wishes to disown. OUT OF THE SOUTH is both a penance for decades of silence and an affirmation of an unshakable identity.
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About the Author
Neal Bowers is the author of three previous books of poetry; a novel; and three nonfiction books, including WORDS FOR THE TAKING: THE HUNT FOR A PLAGIARIST. He lives in Ames, Iowa with his wife, Nancy.
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Eloquent and wise,
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This review is from: Out of the South (Paperback)
I do not normally read poetry, yet I found myself drawn into this slim volume immediately. Bowers' subjects range from racial issues and growing up white in an uneasily integrated society to matters of hushed-up ancestry. But the thread which ran through many of these poems was that of a man who misses his dead father and still yearns hopelessly for another chance to know the man who raised him. Neal Bowers has spent much of his life in Iowa, but these poems are about roots, about Clarksville, Tennessee, where he grew up and wrestled with problems of race, ancestry, faith, and filial loyalty and love. Tennessee is still deeply rooted in Bowers' soul, and Out of the South is an eloquent tribute to his childhood home. Even if you don't usually read poetry, I urge you to read this book. It's good. - Tim Bazzett, author of Pinhead: A Love Story and Reed City Boy
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