Rating: 
Summary: This book made me so angry
Review: I swore that if I wrote a review of this book I wouldn't start it by saying "As a Southerner..." as if my being from Mississippi gives me more of an understanding of the Civil War "farb"-arianism that Mr. Horowitz discloses in his book than someone from, say, the Bronx. (See the book to understand what a "farb" is.) But reading this book gave me Southern flashbacks--hot, muggy nights, spiteful rednecks, depressing, apathetic little towns. Just pick any chapter and find Mr. Horowitz almost nearly dead-on with his descriptions and observations. He's got the whole South--Old and proudly un P.C. and the New proudly P.C.-- exactly right. It's a flea-pit, as boring a right-wing sinkhole as you could imagine. Yet charming. And friendly. And horrible. As far as bias goes, I found the whole depressing, Rebel-loving cadre of fools and menaces that Mr. Horowitz uncovers is given plenty of rope to hang themselves with, and they do a fine job choking the life out of one another as any third-party observer ever could. Most of all, I think the things he discovers among the Civil War philes is that their condition is not something that's endemic just to bored, white middle-class Americans. Fanaticism and predjudice wears many faces. MORAL: When Americans love one other more than winning then the lessons of the Civil War will finally be learned.
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Summary: A literary "Betty Ford Clinic for the Recovering Reenactor"
Review: Tony Horwitz' "Confederates in the Attic" isn't the type of book I thought I would bother reading. Having once been a Civil War reenactor myself (Yankee) I quit the "hobby" almost a decade ago after having had just about enough of the egos, the political infighting, and the "farbs." I wanted nothing more to do with the Civil War because it became such an addiction for me that my personal and professional life suffered. Unfortunately, there is no Betty Ford Clinic for the Recovering Reenactor and I had to undergo years of cold-turkey withdrawl from my Civil War addiction. If Horwitz' book had been available to me then, I would have come to terms with my history obsession much easier. Although I didn't care for the tiresome and ultra-politically correct "hate thy white self" undertone of the book, I found it mostly a humoress read that brought back a lot of memories from my time in the "war." Reading it has allowed me finally make peace with my obsessional past and I highly recommend anyone interested in becoming a reenactor to delve into this book first before taking the plunge. No, it won't turn you off on the Civil War or reenacting, but it will help you keep it all in a healthy perspective and hopefully prevent it from sucking your soul away.
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Summary: NZer enjoys US historical construction shock!
Review: I thoroughly enjoyed Horwitz's book. It is good humoured, gracious, and honest with regard to the possibilities of history and historical nuance. I am a fourth-generation New Zealander who is currently fascinated by the on-going construction and reconstruction of NZ history. We are only now coming to terms with the possibility that our own colonial war/s through the middle of the 1800's might also be considered 'civil' - in the sense that two distinct groups of New Zealanders went to war with each other. The implications of this relatively self-evident idea are far reaching for us as a post-colonial nation. So ... It was fascinating to see that perceptions of history and historical fact in the 90s manifest themselves in fairly similar fashions, regardless of the locale of the 'good ole boys' or the 'militant oppressed'. It was interesting to note that Horwitz identifies a new generation of citizens 'both thin-skinned, and perversely insensitive'. They are familiar, and I work daily to try to become less of one. Most importantly, it was encouraging to read Horwitz's attempt to work through their ideas and those of many others, and form his own conclusions.Yeah, I liked it. I hope you do too.
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Summary: Required reading for neo-Confederates
Review: Required reading for neo-Confederates and those who want to understand them. The material on the "hard-core" Civil War reenactor fringe is at once both fascinating and pathetic. Provides timely insight into the resurgence of the "Lost Cause" movement in the American South. As a bonus, Horwitz provides an interesting perspective and critique of the ethno-centric education fad. Great "beach book!"
Rating:
Summary: intriguing and quirky
Review: This book is an extremely interesting way to re-learn your American History. The author takes you through all the important sites of the Civil War (War Between the States if you will) and simultaneously teaches you the facts of the specific battles and illustrates how those battles affect people to this day. The book is an interesting romp through the South where we meet dozens of interesting people that I was pretty sure did not exist anymore. From Civil War die hards to Scarlet O'Hara wannabes, this book is funny and scary and worth the read.
Rating: 
Summary: worth the effort of separating the wheat from the chaff
Review: Confederates in the Attic is a good read, but the subtitle, Dispatches from the Unfinished Civil War, needs to be understood. This is not an exhaustive study of an issue, but snapshots taken on a journey around the edges; and, it is important to keep in mind, that the one taking the pictures chooses the subjects. In this case, it is the fringe subjects he has chosen. If you do keep that in mind, you can enjoy each snapshot without trying to make it fit into a bigger picture. This is not easy to do since it seems Horwitz himself forgets the dispatch philosophy and tries to bring a continuity to the work by tying it together under the theme of simmering southern racism and the dissenting opinions over the meaning of the Rebel batttle flag. Horwitz is at his best when he simply tells the story and lets it speak for itself. When he tries to extrapolate some greater theme, he gets into trouble. In a work this size, he can not exhaust a subject to present needed objectivity. He reminds me of the blind man grabbing the tail of an elephant and declaring the elephant is like a rope. Read this book like you're looking at the tail of the elephant and enjoy it for what it is--good stories, well told. But don't for a minute think you're viewing the whole elephant.
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Summary: An adventure into the South and the Civil War
Review: This book began with two missions. I wanted to take an adventure across the old Confederacy--to wander the back roads of Dixie rather the way that Ross McElwee did in his movie "Sherman's March." But I also wanted to probe why, in an amnesiac nation, so many Americans cling to a long-ago war and still fight over its symbols, meaning and memory. As one critic put it (more succinctly than I ever managed to), the book approaches the Civil War "as a still-breaking news story" and explores the Confederacy "not as it was, but as it is today." The result, I hope, is a story that can't be easily categorized. There's plenty of history here, from Shelby Foote to Shiloh to Selma, but the book's also aimed at general readers who may not share my keen interest in Southern and Civil War history. I tour popular spots such as Charleston, Gettysburg and the Blue Ridge Mountains, but often meander to farflung places and meet weird, wise characters. Much of the book is comic, particularly my bumbling attempts to become a reenactor, but there's also tragedy, such as the racial murder mystery I unravel in Kentucky. I hope readers will learn something, laugh a lot, and brood some, too. I'd also like to thank readers who have taken the time to post comments, pro and con. Book-writing can be hard lonely work and on dark days you wonder if anyone cares. Reading this page redeems a lot of that doubt and sweat and makes me want to write another.
Rating:
Summary: Very entertaining . . .
Review: Extremely well-written -- you become part of the story as Horwitz and his re-enactor subjects bed down in the cold night air. He takes you to the south that you won't find on the Interstate and puts into perspective those so fascinated with the Civil War they spend their weekends, and in some cases their lives, trying to live it.
Rating:
Summary: Finally, someone explores the Civil War buff phenomenon!
Review: This book is fascinating. Horwitz creates a perfect mix of interesting characters, historical facts and little-explored locations. Probably be hard to convince a non-civil war buff to read it, but it really is 50% travel book. (ie "Blue Highways" or "Travels with Charley).
Rating:
Summary: Controversial subject ably handled
Review: There's no way Tony Horwitz or any author could wrestle with a topic as inherently controversial as the Civil War's legacy without provoking such polarized opinions as you see among these readers/reviewers. It goes with the turf. Contrary to some other reviewers' opinions, I found the book gracious, compassionate, and completely enthralling. I especially appreciate the last few chapters where Horwitz discusses one of the most troubling aspects of US society today - our ongoing racial tensions - intelligently and objectively.
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