From The Shadow Side: And Other Stories Of Knoxville, Tennessee [Paperback]

Jack Neely (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 2003

Jack Neely has written 26 varied true stories of the people and places of Knoxville, Tennessee spanning from the 1890s to the present.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Jack Neely has been a writer and editor in Knoxville, Tennessee for over 20 years. He has been writing his column, Secret History, for the Metro Pulse, an alternative news weekly, since 1992. His writing has received widespread recognition, including awards from the East Tennessee Historical Society and the East Tennessee Society of Professional Journalists. He has three previous books: Secret History (1995), Secret History II (1998), both published by Scruffy City, and Marble City (1999) published by the University of Tennessee Press. He lives in Knoxville with his wife and two children.

Product Details

• Paperback: 221 pages
• Publisher: Tellico Books (November 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0916078779
• ISBN-13: 978-0916078775
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #655,621 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A little light on the shadow side, January 14, 2004

By 

Wesley G. Morgan Jr. (Knoxville, TN USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: From The Shadow Side: And Other Stories Of Knoxville, Tennessee (Paperback)

I look forward each week to reading Jack Neely's "Secret History" column in Knoxville's alternative newspaper. "From the Shadow Side" presents a collection of 26 stories based upon the best of those columns and other feature articles he has written for the paper.

Compared to his earlier two collections (which I very much enjoyed), the present work seems as if it would appeal to a wider audience. In my opinion, the present book is the best of the crop, and Neely has improved upon his already well developed ability to find and tell a good story.

In a sampling of the stories one might find "Night School" which presents an account of how Adolph Ochs, legendary publisher of the New York Times, got his start in the Newspaper trade (in Knoxville, of course). In "Appalachian Aviators" one finds the timely accounts of how the Rev. Melville Murrell, John Crozier Jr., and Edward C. Huffaker contributed to the history of early aviation. In fact, the stories cover an astonishing range of topics.

The title story chronicles the visit of the writer and photographer, Annemarie Schwarzenbach," to Knoxville in November 1937. What was this wealthy Zurich heiress, close friend of Thomas Mann and Carson McCullers doing here in Knoxville? Among other things she photographed Knoxville's Front Street, an area along the river that Cormac McCarthy was to immortalize in "Suttree" some years later. But "for the rest of the story" you will need to read the book. It is worth your time.

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Very enjoyable, January 11, 2004

By 

B. B CLEMMER (TN) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: From The Shadow Side: And Other Stories Of Knoxville, Tennessee (Paperback)

I greatly enjoyed this latest book by Jack Neely regarding tales of Knoxville's past, which can be described at times as having a civic multiple-personality disorder. Many of the stories were particularly appealing as they complemented stories about various places and people told to me by my mother and grandmother. Mr. Neely is able to take legends or old newspaper stories and research them to give added dimension and information. He shows that Knoxville can be a very interesting place, if often frustrating, when one decides to just enjoy people as they are (or were).