I first read Faulkner in my university American Literature class, and have several of his novels on my shelves. This book looks at his books treatment of the civil war and its aftermath, and of his own personal statements on the same. Beyond that it looks deeply at the social history of the American South, and how the civil war is reflected in that history.
It looks closely at several characters in his novels, and at how he portrays black characters, quite differently from other southern white authors, and we see how his books differed from the customary attitude about black people in the south. Some of these things in his novels were observations that he wasn't as comfortable saying publicly outside of fiction, and he still struggles with some of the prejudices of his peers.
There is in-depth analysis of his writings, social commentary, historical comparisons between his fiction and the real events, and literary criticism. The book includes a chronology of his life, a list of his major works, and a brief history of his fictional Yoknapatawpha County.
The title refers to references from the book, referring to the words "was" and "again", both references in this way by the author.
I found this a fascinating insight into his books, and his environment. It seems especially apt during the social changes that we are going through now.

I approached The Saddest Words intending to enrich my understanding of Faulkner's muck heap rendition of Southern squalor and was enriched beyond my expectations and understanding. The Saddest Words should stand on it's own as a fortunate product of a country's disgrace. More than a full autopsy of Faulkner's works and life, Gorra reveals his mastery of the larger picture and includes dissections of the South, the Confederacy, Reconstruction, Slavery. and Racism, The Saddest Words is a fascinating yet intensely scholarly treatment of Faulkner, his novels and all aspects thereof. Gorra manages to translate Faulkner's novels into comprehensible chunks while making them no easier to swallow are finally comprehensible. Not until sitting down to write this review did I realize the subtitle of The Saddest Words is "William Faulkner's Civil War." And that really says it all. I don't think I'll be re- reading those old torture tomes of yesterday but instead offer a sincere bravo to the author for shedding light on a dark past.