As a reader of books about the American Civil War, I also like to read books about the current day South and how the legacy of the antebellum South, Civil War, reconstruction, and Jim Crow era still affects today. Mr. Grant provides an intimate look into how the people of Natchez, Mississippi feel deep down in hearts, especially along color lines and “newcomers” versus “long timers.” The book certainly gave me a better understanding of the racial divide that sadly seems to be ingrained in our country.

Part travelogue, part historic accounting, Grant's book provides a distinct perspective on the legacy of American slavery while simultaneously encouraging readers to put a visit to Natchez on their bucket lists.
Author Richard Grant frequently uses his wanderlust to explore diverse stories that create a complex sense of place. Certainly Natchez, Mississippi proves worthy of close examination given its grim legacy of slavery on its once expansive cotton plantations. In The Deepest South of All, Grant reveals that Natchez is a paradox: a place where women still dress up in hoop skirts and give garden tours of antebellum homes, and also a place that is finally starting to search for ways to facilitate race relations. Many white Natchezians are beginning to acknowledge the travesty of these superficial tours, as well as the myopic history that has been told in Natchez to date.

Grant's stories of modern-day Natchez seem implausible at times. Warring factions of garden clubs plot against one another while mothers strategically position their toddlers to ultimately become the King or Queen of the Tableaux — a grand scale production that includes yet more hoop skirts and, shockingly, young men in Confederate uniforms. One of the largest challenges of the royal duties? "[T]he number of boozy brunches, cocktail parties, and late-night balls that they were required to attend—for a month straight—while also trying to attend college, maintain grades, and not get arrested for drunk driving." Parents often hire chauffeurs, even helicopters, to ferry their children back to college, as being selected for the Tableaux is such an honor.

While these outlandish accounts might be entertaining without social and historical context, set against the backdrop of the Forks of the Road, the former location of one of the largest slave trade markets in the country, they are extremely unsettling. The extent to which some Natchezians deny the atrocities of slavery and effects of racism is appalling. Grant notes that "the struggles, marches, and violence of the civil rights era were poorly understood and largely forgotten." One white Natchezian, Regina Charboneau, confesses she was ignorant of the struggle of the Black community growing up, as her mother sheltered her from Klan activities and civil rights protests.

Grant wholly acknowledges this jarring contrast of white amnesia and Black pain. He provides balance and perspective by including historical details regarding slavery and racism in Natchez. Most notably, he recounts the story of a West African prince, Abd al-Rahman Ibrahima, as he was brought to the Forks of the Road and sold into slavery for 30 years before he attained freedom. Ibrahima's narrative, as well as those of other Black Natchezians, adds valuable historical context to plantation tours and young people donning Confederate uniforms.

Grant weaves together Natchez's past and present, as well as lighter and heavier subject matter, rather seamlessly. His candid humor brings levity, while his attention to history provides important reflections on the area's past. Whether it be the intrigue of bizarre stories such as the "Goat Castle Murders" or the secrecy of the clandestine Black paramilitary group known as the Deacons of Defense, his writing will inspire in readers a desire to further explore the city of Natchez.

In a pandemic world where travel has been greatly thwarted, Grant takes us to an astonishing place where "oddballs get free range" that is also steeped in the kinds of history lessons all Americans should know. So when you do ultimately travel to Natchez after reading The Deepest South of All, skip the plantation tour and take a moment to reflect on the city's newest monument commemorating Black civil rights activists, "Proud to Take a Stand."

Quirky and evoking a strong sense of place, the stories in this collection illuminate a broad swath of the past and present of Natchez, Mississippi. The character details provide humor and pathos, richness and nuance - this could have been Truman Capote's writing, it is so brilliant and incisive.

BOOK REVIEW: The Deepest South Of All by Richard Grant

⭐️⭐️⭐️

Pages: 285
Genre: Nonfiction
Sub-Genre: History | Southern US
Location: Natchez, Mississippi

IF YOU LIKE THIS BOOK THEN TRY…
Book: Midnight In The Garden Of Good And Evil by John Berendt
Movie: Driving Miss Daisy

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All my reviews can be seen at This Is My Everybody | Simple Living | Denise Wilbanks at www.thisismyeverybody.com

♡ Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC. I voluntarily chose to review it and the opinions contained within are my own.

Parts of this book were interesting, but there was too much time spent on the rival garden clubs and the yearly pilgrimage play. I know they're important to Natchez but the deep dive detracted from the rest of the book.

I’m a fan of history of all flavors, and this book doesn’t disappoint. Author Richard Grant blends together notable historical figures from the small Mississippi town of Natchez with current contemporary characters. Natchez is of course part of the Deep South with a long history of racial animus that has roots in the slave trade that helped build the town. These stories are largely unknown, but that doesn’t make them any less interesting or important. Lots of interesting tidbits of information to be discovered. The author also does a good job of trying to make the racial tensions that still exist in the south understandable. The small town of Natchez is also a character of its own in this story with a unique personality and flavor. A worthwhile trip into what makes the Deep South tick for those interested in the journey. Review posted to Amazon, LibraryThing, Litsy, and Goodreads.

This book is both charming and edifying. Grant cleverly weaves a story into his description of Natchez life and culture so the reader is compelled to continue reading. This book offered more than I initially thought it would and I would easily recommend it to just about anyone.

It took me over a week to review this and over another week to type up and submit my review. When I first finished the book, I was going to give this 3 stars and by the time I wrote the review I decided on 2 stars. I remember very little at this point about this book. I unfortunately do not recommend this unless you are very interested in Natchez, Mississippi.

I really wanted to like this book. The blurb that likened it to Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil sounded exciting. But The Deepest South of All tries too, too hard to be funny, over-the-top, extreme and more. I found it to be extremely discriminatory against almost every class of people--age, gender, sexual orientation, race, religious. Not worth the effort. Really disappointed in this book.

A wonderfully written book!! The Deepest South of All by Richard Grant is a wonderful telling of the history of Natchez. Intriguing in all aspects, you will see the history from the vantage point of blacks, whites, as well as those living in the past. Captivating from start to finish.

Richard Grant spent months observing the customs, traditions, interactions and lifestyle of the citizens of Natchez, Mississippi. In his travelogue he recounts his experiences in detail.
Prominent mention is made of two facts: Natchez was pro union during the Civil War and number two is the current mayor of Natchez is a gay black man. These two statements would lead one to believe that Natchez is a progressive modern city. Actually if you read the book you will find that Natchez is a racially divided city mired in the past.
The city is run by two all white Garden clubs. Each year the “Ladies” of the clubs stage The Tableau. This story of Civil War era Natchez determined one’s status in the city. Staged over several weeks, The Tableau is repleat with hoop skirts, drinking, sabres, drinking, calvary charges, drinking, confederate uniforms, drinking and arguments. Pity the poor son or daughter of a Club member who loses their role in The Tableau. They and their family are shunned.
The Black community has its own monument - if you can find it. The Market Place at the Fork of the Road boasts a small monument erected to commemorate the place where thousands of Black men, women and children were sold into slavery. There is no Tableau type of production performed here.
Grant reports about the city of Natchez seemingly without bias or judgement. It should be noted that he only lived with white families. It was well written and an interesting read about a city I ultimately decided held no appeal to me.
I received an advance copy of this book from NetGalley. #NetGalley #thedeepestsouthofall

This is a book about contradictions in society in a city in the deep south and it is fascinating, I really enjoyed reading about these people and hope to read more in the future.

I have no idea where to start on this most entertaining, exciting,unusual and complicated story by Richard Grant. Based in the old South,Mississippi..you have historical facts and the characters to go along with them. You have some really unusual characters that make up this story. You have a slave,a prostitute,a madam she is,a gay man,and so many more characters in Natchez, Mississippi. This place is like a Little New Orleans where you have people who don't want to change. This is a very unique,unusual story that the more you read the better the story gets. Follow all these characters and see how they live and survive in this quaint town of Natchez, Mississippi.. I received this book from Net Gallery in 2020 and I'm not really sure if the book has been published to the public,if and when or it's already available to read,you sure won't be disappointed in this very unique and unusual story. I hope I have peeked your interest in reading this book,this is a review not a book report,can't tell you the whole story then you will miss out on a very good read! It did take me a long time to read this book,my fault really,would read and stop read and stop,not cause of the book being boring,it's far from that!!

I loved this and learned so much reading it. I think this will be an incredible read in 10 years, and for now it seems very important and worth putting in the hands of all our readers.

The Deepest South of All was such a powerful, thought-provoking book that left me both wanting to visit the eccentric city of Natchez, MS and do more research on southern history. Grant's portrayal of this town, both its past and present, was so well-written and descriptive. By the end, I was ready to pack my bags and take a trip to this strange city to see it for myself.

Natchez, MS is a city rich of history, full of antebellum plantations and tales of eccentric characters. But Natchez is also a city whose roots of slavery run deep and whose past holds many painful and tragic stories. How does a city who holds a yearly grand celebration in which young men and women are elected to a court and dress in confederate attire also have a black, gay mayor who won with 91% of the vote? Grant's exploration of Natchez is thorough and insightful and full of stories that will leave you shaking your head in disbelief or anger, or laughing at the true craziness. After all, in Natchez, they don't put "crazy relatives in the nuthouse, like they do up North." In Natchez, they "put them in the front parlor and give them a cocktail."

I highly recommend this book. It was well-researched and well-written. It is more than just crazy stories from an eccentric town. It is a history lesson that needs to be shared and an important look at a southern city trying to acknowledge its painful past.

I found this to be an absolutely fascinating book and a wonderful escape from current events. I really appreciated the author looking at both the light hearted eccentricities of the town's inhabitants, as well as the dark realities of slavery that the whole country is dealing with.

I thought The Deepest South of All was a pretty good read. I highly recommend it. I am giving it five plus stars.

The shame of slavery and racism in south all too often makes us skip over these crucial stories. Perfect fo local and small town history buffs. Richard Grant provides and incredibly well researched and interesting oral history of the town. The cast of characters living in Natchez was exciting and eclectic.

Natchez, Mississippi. A book filled with the current gossip, tales of feuding garden clubs, and inequitable education given to its black children. All of this is built on the town’s history of slavery, with a keen focus on Ibrahima, an African royal who was captured during battle and sold to slave traders. This book goes back and forth in time but what I found most interesting was the slave history and how deeply rooted the actions of those from 200 years ago still grip this town today.

Richard Grant, an award-winning travel writer and journalist from Britain, explores the intricacies of the complicated social structure of Natchez, that beautiful city on the Mississippi that is renowned for its magnificent Old Southern mansions. Grant brilliantly weaves together the history of slavery and cotton with the present-day pageantry that has drawn scores of tourists to that area for years to see the antebellum mansions.
Like Charleston and Savannah, Natchez is a destination for many. Two competing Garden Clubs are the driving force behind these successful tourist attractions. Grant delves into the strong Southern “belles” that run this pageantry, and their differing opinions of how the slavery issue should be represented in their annual Tableaux. Having grown up in the South, I found many of these characters true to form, and for that reason I enjoyed this gossip-filled account of life down South.
To juxtapose the machinations of these Southern society women, Grant includes the interesting story of an African prince, sold into slavery and purchased by a Natchez plantation owner. He spent his life trying to gain his freedom and return to his homeland.
The “South” is a complicated issue still. Grant touches on some of the reasons why.