I think it was about two years ago that Tony Horwitz was last at Lemuria. I had just started working here and was at the reading. I was quickly impressed with his candor and knowledge. I could have listened to him talk all day! I purchased A Voyage Long and Strange and my boyfriend read it on our vacation and loved it. I feel like I have sort of read it since he related so many of Tony’s adventures to me as he read. Now he just finished reading Confederates in the Attic. I have to read this one myself no matter how much of the book had already been read to me.
The point of this blog is to say that I am very much enjoying Confederates, and I am becoming more and more embarrassed about not asking Tony any questions when he was here two years ago. But, I was reacquainting myself with the South and had also just never heard of Tony Horwitz. Finally, I say–if you haven’t already: Read Tony Horwitz. He does us all a huge service by showing his readers that history is very much alive with all the humor, perspective, courage, and truthfulness he can muster.
Confederates in the Attic takes readers on a ten-state adventure exploring the history of the Civil War and its effects on the South even today. So far, and I am not very far into the book at the moment, there are two people who I cannot forget: Sue Curtis and twelve-year-old Beth. (I am afraid my list of unforgettable people is going to get quite long.)
Sue Curtis is from North Carolina and is a member of the United Daughters of the Confederacy. She does research for her chapter to confirm that all applicants have blood relatives who were Confederate soldiers. Sue explains to Tony:
“We were raised Methodists,” Sue said. “But we converted to the Confederacy. There wasn’t time for both”
“War is hell,” Ed [her husband] deadpanned. “And it just might send us there.”
But Sue didn’t worry about the afterlife. In fact, she looked forward to it. “The neatest thing about living is that I can die and finally track down all those people I couldn’t find in the records.” She pointed to the ceiling and then at the floor. “Either way, it’ll be heaven just to get that information.”
Twelve-year-old Beth is also from North Carolina and is a member of the Children of the Confederacy. Beth explains that she doesn’t really “agree with all this ‘South is great’ stuff,'” and she has this to say about her recent obsession with Anne Frank and the Holocaust:
“What gets me is the heart of the Jews. They were the underdogs, they knew they were going to die but didn’t give up the faith,” she said. “Just like the Confederates.”
Ohhh . . . dear.
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