Three Months in the Southern States
356448
Primary, first hand accounts of persons who were recording their thoughts and experiences at or near the time of the historical event is the best possible source of history. The real time accounts are devoid of any influences of future events, information, or outcomes, which might influence or change that which was recorded by the person experiencing event at the time they were taking place.  this is a most valuable work
1818286
This book suits my needs for an upcoming trip to Charleston and Savannah. I will follow up when I return from my trip.
4626901
I ridiculed the wife for buying snow pants for South Carolina. Wouldn't you  know it we had snow 3 times in just
a few weeks. The kids didn't stay outside long, but they worked well.
2813327
There were a few  too many characters for me to keep up with. The storyline was fun and full of lots of adventures. Considering I've lived in Georgia for the last 30 years it was nice to identify with some of the places the author talked about.
974118
Pretty good book.  Similar to the excellent one on S.C.  They are good companions on the adjoining states.
4166829
The third installment of Anthony Bourdain's No Reservations dvd collection continues his travels around the world including a fair amount of U.S. destinations. I prefer the more philosophical adventures he has and the food-centric ones are understandable as it is his forte. The only episode issues I have are the trivial and generic ones, such as his visit to South Carolina. It is a tired exploration of the clichd Southern hospitality, replete with a fox chase, garden party, Civil War re-enactment, and various other good-ole-Southern-charm fluff that is straight from Samantha Brown's itinerary. There are too many travel shows and food network garbage that specialize in this kind of shallow fare and it is a disappointment to see this from No Reservations. I understand the corporate push to broaden the market, but stuff like this never seems to be a good fit for Bourdain. Thankfully, the South Carolina show is the weakest of a strong bunch, thirteen in all.
The always fun Zamir adventure takes place in Russia and there are three trips to Southeast Asia including the frantic and food loving paradises of Singapore and Hong Kong. There is also an episode billed as Shanghai, but it is more an exploration of western China than the city per se and is one of the better inclusions on the collection. There is a funny trip back to a disappointingly clean and family-friendly New York then there is the piece de resistance of the collection; a brilliant graphic novel themed trip to Cleveland featuring American Splendor author Harvey Pekar and a cast of characters. Thankfully, Tony went there in the dead of winter and got the full-on Lake Erie wind chill joy that life in that city entails. Other episodes are Berlin, Tuscany, Brazil (Sao Paolo), and Argentina. Along with Cleveland and Shanghai, is one of my favorites. It targets French Polynesia and weaves a connective thread to Paul Gaugin, eschewing the tropical paradise predictability.
As with the previous collections in this series; these discs come without commentary, deleted scenes, or any other extras. Furthermore, the contents don't seem to jibe with what I've seen listed on other sites as being from season three per se. My guess is that the chopped up broadcasting schedule which airs a handful during one period than another group some months later creates confusion as to when one season ends and another begins. To be fair, the dvd box does say "collection" and not "season," so there seems to be a method to their compilation, although I don't know what that is.
When No Reservations truly excels, it goes beyond a travel show or a food show and become more of a sociological and anthropological exploration. Bourdain seeks to find out what makes a community tick, what keeps people staying in places that often seem bleak and hopeless to the typical over-indulged American viewer, and what unites humanity on a sociological and cultural level. He does his historical homework and sits down with the people he meets to get at the heart of who they are and how they define themselves. By avoiding the tourist frivolity and focusing instead on the anthropological development as seen from the very people who shaped or have been shaped by it, we are provided with more than pretty sites and mouthwatering food. We are given a small sampling of the kind of deeper exploration of new places and new people that is truly at the heart of why those of us who have the travel bug aren't likely to be found in the obvious places. It is through this lens of higher level thought-provocation and contextual examination that we are able to see not only what makes one place different from another, but moreover, what makes it all the same. I'm confident you'll enjoy the trip. Bon voyage.
4309590
What a great tribute to life in the South.  Not a native by birth, but I found this book to be very insightful and the photography terrific.  Hopefully, I can find enough to handle my Christmas gift list.
3579115
Charleston is a beautiful southern city.  We were there just a week ago for a "destination" wedding.  The history of Charleston is smudged when you realize a lot of the beautiful old homes and buildings were built by slaves, and the preachers from the pulpits, and elected officials supported the rule of white men and the institution of slavery;  what a blot on our southern heritage. This was an excellent book and I hope the rights are quickly bought for a movie.  Saundra Gray
4062643
I live in the Upstate of SC and vacation on Coastal Carolina and love reading novels set in the Low Country. To be honest, I got this book as it was free and reading the first chapter intrigued me. I found myself finding time to read this book. I would equate the author and this book to Dorothea Benton Frank and Debbie Macomber. I will be looking for other books written by this the author.
3383458
I grew up in Florida so enjoy books with Southern settings don't know much about boats so all the descriptions of the
 boats didn't mean much to me, but I enjoyed the book and especially the author's comments about the growth in Florida
4877563
Interesting  read. Prompted me to research more about south  Carolina  low country.
3115911
Martha Hall Foose's "Screen Doors and Sweet Tea" is a lovely look at Southern culture and its cuisine. Many of the recipes are linked to Mississippi and Louisiana, but most are common across the South (okra, fried chicken, cheese straws, pot likker greens, cornbread). Each recipe is prefaced by a short story about its origins, full of reminiscences and funny stories. There are also helpful notes along the margins regarding possible variations and alternate ingredients.

The appetizer section "Mailbox Happy Hour" includes some lovely cool summer drink ideas (McCarty Pottery Juleps, Mailbox Cocktail, Milk Punch, Cantaloupe Daiquiris) along with nonalcoholic counterparts (Blackberry Limeade, Cherry-Vanilla Cream Soda) and munchies (Roasted Pecans, Buttermilk Bacon Pralines, Yazoo Cheese Straws, Sold My Soul to the Devil-ed Eggs). In addition to old-time favorites like pimiento cheese, you'll also find ethnic-inspired gems like the Apricot Rice Salad and Tabbouleh that are directly linked to Lebanese and Syrian immigration to the South.

There are also several variations on gumbo, various chicken dishes (fried, chicken pot pie, chicken and dumplings), pork (chops, glazed ham, Chinese Grocery Pork), beef (Country-Fried Steak, Midnight Brisket, Chile Lime Skirt Steak), and seafood, rounded out with tasty vegetable sides. Breads and rolls merit a chapter, and desserts include Sweet Tea Pie, Banana Pudding, Dewberry Dumplings, cobbler, fudge squares, and several cakes.

The recipes themselves are easy to follow and clearly laid out. There are numerous gorgeous photographs of finished recipes, but no nutritional info. This is a lovely addition to any cookbook collection, particularly those who enjoy collecting regional cookbooks, and the recipes will take you back to a simpler, more genteel era.
2459202
I suspect many South Carolinians will buy this book because of the promise of a nostalgia fix, and they will not be disappointed.  They are sure to find something they can relate to.  The material in this anthology will remind them of things they experienced as they were growing up, or perhaps things their parents and grandparents told them about growing up in South Cackalacky in previous eras.
For me though, as a transplant from the far North, (where I was in turn a transplant from the Midwest) it was a window into my new adoptive culture.  Everybody in the country learns the basics of regional differences.  The West had Indian wars.  California had the Gold Rush.  New York had Ellis Island, with Italian, Irish and Jewish immigrants.  OK, ho, hum.  Weve heard all of that.  And the South had slavery, and then we had the Civil War, and they lost, right?  But what does that tell me about the people I meet who were born several generations after all that?  Not much.  What went on between the Civil War and the present day?  What sort of things shaped the lives of all the people I meet in my new home?
This book tells me.  It presents the story of the South in the Twentieth Century, with detail and texture that will not be found in history books.  I had read about the Orangeburg Massacre, but discovering that my friend Annette Reynolds had been there gave it a whole new dimension, and knowing that shed been there added to my understanding of my friend.
Another friend, Barbara Covington, gave me a glimpse into what it feels like to swing on a porch glider on a languid Southern summer evening, which is as different from a bitter cold and icy Wisconsin winter as any childhood could be.
Similarly, those contributing authors that are not included among the friends I have found since moving here nevertheless add to my understanding of this culture that I joined late in life.  This book is a glimpse into a rich and vibrant culture, and tells me far more about South Carolina and its people than any history book ever could.
I thoroughly recommend this book for native South Carolinians and for transplanted Yankees as well.  You will want to read it more than once.
(I was provided an advance reader's copy of this book.  I received no payment or benefit for providing an honest review.)
3098284
The southern states east of the Mississippi were in a territory that was for a long time under Spanish or Indian jurisdiction. By law, only persons issued passports were allowed to enter the southeastern territories, and so the passport records have the largest body of data relating to the pioneers to the Southeastern United States.

Dorothy W. Potter spent eight years doing research in the records of the War Department, the State Department, the archives of the individual states, as well as records of the Spanish and the British in West Florida. So she has assembled a complete collection of the passports and travel documents issued to individuals and families going to the Mississippi Valley area from Tennessee, Kentucky, Georgia, Mississippi, Virginia, North Carolina, and South Carolina.

Never again can genealogists complain that research in the Old South is hampered by lack of a comprehensive source book, for in this one outstanding reference work there is now a huge and invaluable body of source material at their disposal. No wonder this book was awarded the Certificate of Merit by the Tennessee Historical Commission!

"...This is one of the finest reference books we have ever seen."--Winston De Ville, Alexandria (LA) Daily Town Talk

"...Mrs. Potter has made a major contribution to genealogical research in the southern states."--Charles F. Bryan, Jr., Tennessee Historical Quarterly

"May I take a moment of your time to tell you how impressed I am with your Passports of Southeastern Pioneers. It is a model work of genealogical scholarship...."--Letter to the author from Elizabeth Shown Mills
2746077
Note that this review is for the 2009 edition.

Heading down from Atlanta, to spend a week on the coast of Georgia (especially St. Simons), I took with me three guides: Frommer's, Fodor's The Carolinas & Georgia and Moon: Savannah & the Georgia Coast.  For just the GA coast, Moon's new release "Savannah & the Georgia Coast" - was the best.

Frommer's is superbly laid out guide.  It gives you a brief history section, as well as sections that films, books & music that reflects the Carolinas & Georgia in print and celluloid (tip: before your journey, have a little fun and a get few DVD to set the mood- Gone with the Wind, To Kill a Mockingbird, Driving Miss Daisy and, of course, Forest Gump to name a few).

This guide has great information on what to see; and their recommended accommodation and restaurant were very reliable, with many good choices.  That said, I found a few reviews that were carried over from the previous edition without checking out if the place was still good, or open.  Also, I found some great new restaurants that had been opened for two years or more, i.e. the Cargo Grill in Brunswick, that should have been in this 2009 guide.  However, no guide will be 100% current; thus, you should cross-check Tripadvior on the internet to get the latest scoop.

This guide has a serious downside and it is the lack of maps.  Maps that help you locate the accommodations and restaurants guide are absent, except for only the largest cities (Atlanta, Savannah, Charlotte etc.).  This is a critical shortcoming on the part of the publishers.

Overall this is a very good and reliable travel guide, superior to Fodor's, and good for all of the Carolinas and Georgia.  However, if you are going to just the Georgia Coast I strongly commended Moon's.  Happy travels.  Recommended 3.5 stars
3759884
During a 3week trip to Panama, we repeatedly used this guide to make our way around the country on a budget.  Well written.
4329557
This book would appeal to Dateline audiences. Those interested in southern history in the 20's, 30's, and 40's would find this book quite informative.  It is also quite revealing  about the social order during those same years.  People familiar with the Rockingham County, North Carolina area and the Henry County, Virginia area will recognize the names of people and places, because the author has been careful to use original sources.