Rock & roll has transformed American culture more profoundly than any other art form. During the 1960s, it defined a generation of young people as political and social idealists, helped end the Vietnam War, and ushered in the sexual revolution. In Dixie Lullaby, veteran music journalist Mark Kemp shows that rock also renewed the identity of a generation of white southerners who came of age in the decade after segregation -- the heyday of disco, Jimmy Carter, and Saturday Night Live. Growing up in North Carolina in the 1970s, Kemp experienced pain, confusion, and shame as a result of the South's residual civil rights battles. His elementary school was integrated in 1968, the year Kemp reached third grade; his aunts, uncles, and grandparents held outdated racist views that were typical of the time; his parents, however, believed blacks should be extended the same treatment as whites, but also counseled their children to respect their elder relatives. "I loved the land that surrounded me but hated the history that haunted that land," Kemp writes. When rock music, specifically southern rock, entered his life, he began to see a new way to identify himself, beyond the legacy of racism and stereotypes of southern small-mindedness that had marked his early childhood. Well into adulthood Kemp struggled with the self-loathing familiar to many white southerners. But the seeds of forgiveness were planted in adolescence when he first heard Duane Allman and Ronnie Van Zant pour their feelings into their songs. In the tradition of music historians such as Nick Tosches and Peter Guralnick, Kemp masterfully blends into his narrative the stories of southern rock bands --from heavy hitters such as the Allman Brothers Band, Lynyrd Skynyrd, and R.E.M. to influential but less-known groups such as Drive-By Truckers -- as well as the personal experiences of their fans. In dozens of interviews, he charts the course of southern rock & roll. Before civil rights, the popular music of the South was a small, often racially integrated world, but after Martin Luther King Jr.'s assassination, black musicians struck out on their own. Their white counterparts were left to their own devices, and thus southern rock was born: a mix of popular southern styles that arose when predominantly white rockers combined rural folk, country, and rockabilly with the blues and jazz of African-American culture. This down-home, flannel-wearing, ass-kicking brand of rock took the nation by storm in the 1970s. The music gave southern kids who emulated these musicians a newfound voice. Kemp and his peers now had something they could be proud of: southern rock united them and gave them a new identity that went beyond outside perceptions of the South as one big racist backwater. Kemp offers a lyrical, thought-provoking, searingly intimate, and utterly original journey through the South of the 1960s, '70s, '80s, and '90s, viewed through the prism of rock & roll. With brilliant insight, he reveals the curative and unifying impact of rock on southerners who came of age under its influence in the chaotic years following desegregation. Dixie Lullaby fairly resonates with redemption.

A gift from her father from the grave -- a dilapidated southern mansion with an old trunk full of family secrets, will transform Rhonda's life in an instant and make her question everything she's ever believed about her family and herself. And then there's that list -- the one she made about her dream man when she was just a teenager. Her perfect love may be right here under her nose, but for Rhonda this is one last complication she could do without. She intended to get home, bury Daddy, sell that dilapidated monstrosity and get back to LA, as fast as she could. But plans never quite work out just as we hope. Rhonda will have to call on her old BFF's, Blake and Vivi, to help solve the family mystery. But what those original Sassy Belles finally create out of that pile of dust could change Rhonda's life for good, make her Hollywood dreams fade to black, and maybe even help her uncover her heart right where she left it -- in Dixie. But sometimes things aren't as they seem. And people aren't always who we think they are.

Just Blow it Up: Firepower for Living an Unlimited Life will provide the reader with: A dependable, repeatable process for eliminating barriers Authentic life-expanding tools while demolishing cliches How to recognize the symptoms, causes, and types of brick walls How to pursue a life where "nothing is impossible" Ways to refuse the bricks life offers and reclaim their power Pulling together her experiences from years of coaching entrepreneurs and consulting in hundreds of small businesses across America, along with stories shared with her by mentors and teachers such as Richard Bach, Bob Burg, Mitch Matthews and John David Mann, Dixie builds a credible case for taking on the "impossible" dream and blowing up any barrier that stands in the way. Just Blow It Up gives a step-by-step process for challenging those barriers, weakening those walls, and finally applying the "real dynamite" and powering right on through.

From the late nineteenth century through World War II, popular culture portrayed the American South as a region ensconced in its antebellum past, draped in moonlight and magnolias, and represented by such southern icons as the mammy, the belle, the chival

Essays by an author who lived in New Zealand.

The decision of the eventual Confederate states to secede from the Union set in motion perhaps the most dramatic chapter in American history, and one that has typically been told on a grand scale. In Daydreams and Nightmares, however, historian Brent Tarter shares the story of one Virginia family who found themselves in the middle of the secession debate and saw their world torn apart as the states chose sides and went to war. George Berlin was elected to serve as a delegate to the Virginia Convention of 1861 as an opponent of secession, but he ultimately changed his vote. Later, when defending his decision in a speech in his hometown of Buckhannon, Upshur County, he had to flee for his safety as Union soldiers arrived. Berlin and his wife, Susan Holt Berlin, were separated for extended periods--both during the convention and, later, during the early years of the Civil War. The letters they exchanged tell a harrowing story of uncertainty and bring to life for the modern reader an extended family that encompassed both Confederate and Union sympathizers. This is in part a love story. It is also a story about ordinary people caught up in extraordinary events. Although unique in its vividly evoked details, the Berlins’ story is representative of the drama endured by millions of Americans. Composed during the nightmare of civil war, the Berlins’ remarkably articulate letters express the dreams of reunion and a secure future felt throughout the entire, severed nation. In this intimate, evocative, and often heartbreaking family story, we see up close the personal costs of our larger national history. A Nation Divided: Studies in the Civil War

Southern talk show host and former pageant queen Annabelle Harper certainly knows a thing or two about romance. She is, in fact the local authority on love in Tuscaloosa Alabama as the host of her own radio talk show for the lovelorn: Saved By The Belle. With nearly 50 happy couples to her credit, no one could argue with her success. Annie has never been wrong about the heart of a person. Strange thing is, she can't seem to get past five dates before the dreaded break-up in her own lovelife. That is until a new guy pops into town-and a Yankee at that! Sparks fly between Annie and Matt Brubaker - the mysterious stranger who has more than love on his mind. His interests are focused on developing a new company in Tuscaloosa. But his new business will put Annie's best friend out of business, and place Annie smack dab in the middle of a hot southern mess! Now Annie must choose -- the passion she feels for Matt and the love she has for her long-time friend. The conflict reaches a boiling point and puts her in the middle of a major city-wide protest, with Annie at the microphone. Will she betray her BFF and fall in love with the wrong man? Or like the true southern belle that she is, will she keep guarding her best friends back till the bitter end-even if it means losing what could finally be the love of her life. Beth Albright is at her sassy best with this new Southern page-turner, filled with the Beth Albright brand we have come to love-Sexy romance, comedy and a shot of mystery. Think Steel Magnolias meets Sex In The City-this ride is passionate, sexy and full of love - both the romantic kind and the kind for the women who always have each other's backside covered in a crisis. Grab your best girlfriends and hang on for this sassy southern beach read! Praise & Accolades for author Beth Albright DOUBLE Finalist for the RT REVIEWERS Awards The Sassy Belles for BEST CONTEMPORARY ROMANCE Wedding Belles for BEST Contemporary Love and Laughter The Sassy Belles WINNER: Best Debut Novel from the Book Junkie Choice Awards The Sassy Belles- *Finalist BEST DEBUT NOVEL, RT REVIEWERS AWARDS, 2014 *Top Five Summer Pick - Deep South Magazine *Finalist: Best Debut Novel - Book Junkie Choice Awards Praise For The Novels of Beth Albright Dripping with southern charm and colloquialisms, the novel once again proves Albright's firsthand knowledge of southern culture. The women in Albright's novels are especially well written-happy to challenge the status quo when necessary but also aware of that old adage, "You catch more flies with honey." This delightfully campy and romantic read will satisfy fans of Mary Kay Andrews, Alexandra Potter, and Lisa Jewell. Booklist Review for Wedding Belles By turns tender, witty, steamy, and sharp, Albright's debut novel proves she's a gifted storyteller with intimate knowledge of southern culture. This charming tale is tailor-made for fans of Mary Kay Andrews and Anne George." -Booklist Review for The Sassy Belles ...with distinct nods to the strength of family, the friendship sisterhood and the indomitable Southern spirit...Albright's first novel is a frothy, frolicking story..." -Kirkus Review for The Sassy Belles "Albright good-naturedly displays her inner redneck while steering this giddy Dixie romp with ease-leaving lots of room at the happy ending for another adventure starring these steel magnolias" -Publisher's Weekly Review for The Sassy Belles "Readers will find some sexy, Southern fun for Christmas with The Sassy Belles." - Library Journal for Sleigh Belles