Rating: 
Summary: Highly recommended
Review: Wonderful tales of life down south. The book captures a southern mentality that refuses to die about "The North vs. The South." On many occasions I found myself thinking "I can't believe there's people like this out there."The strength of the book is with the random people he meets in coffee shops, museums, roadside attractions and his ability to get them to talk. The few chapters on bigger issues (i.e. murder of the young man in the truck) were a little too macro for what I thought the book was about. But that's just my personal taste. I'd rather have read 100 stories of Joe Schmoe, than bigger political, economical, etc. type issues. Nonetheless, the book is smooth reading and I do feel like I've learned something new. I thought this type of mentality was in the backwoods of swamps, but apparently it's more prominent than most think. More importantly, I now understand this event in history is a part of these people's lives (heritage) and we can't ask them to ignore it. I wasn't too heavy into reading about the Civil War, but since reading this book, I will be revisiting the subject and read about some specific battles. Excellent work.
Rating:
Summary: Must read!
Review: Wonderful book! It is shocking that such fringes of culture exist in this country, and that so many people have turned an innocent hobby of a historical event into a full-time obsession, especially considering the obviously disparate views of historical events. Family and local pride are taken to the extreme. It makes me think that these extremists lack self-confidence and are trying to make themselves feel larger than life by long-dead ancestors who weren't necessarily all that wonderful. The Cats of the Confederacy is hilarious...talk about taking things too far! I also don't think the last Confederate Widow should "count" because she wasn't even alive during the war! It was comforting to read the sections about the high school students being ignorant about the Civil War after reading about these fringe people throughout the book, although the part about the Civil War children (can anyone say Hilter Youth?) was incredibly disturbing. Maybe it's about time that part of the US realized that the war is over and to get on with their lives and learn to take pride in themselves for themselves, not just for ancestors they never even met. Great writing, great book, Tony! Everyone in our book club loved it, and it's our favorite to date!
Rating:
Summary: I am so glad I don't live down south!
Review: This book was wonderful, and sucked me in emotionally. Although Horwitz tended to gravitate to seeking out the fringe of eccentrics in the south, he certainly showed that there is an overwhelming sense of not letting this damn war feel finished there. GET OVER IT! YOU LOST! It's nice to have a hobby, but you people that are so wrapped up in this Civil War thing are losers and obviously have gone overboard. Spending all your money on clubs and authentic pieces of history which represent slavery is mind-boggling to me. Sad to say, but I was grateful in reading the last chapters about how ignorant the youth were in the two classrooms, it gave me hope that someday this will no longer be the "national pasttime" of the former Confederate States. And the children being brainwashed was frightening. Can you not compare it to Hilter Youth? And the one southerner commenting on how the English live in "the north" and the Scottish/Gaelic live in "the south" of today? Please, obviously you've never left your isolated village before. The whole deal about the confederate flag is hilarious...talk about taking a convenient, well-publicized symbol and using it as a flagship to represent something completely different. Many argue that it doesn't represent racism, yet question those that have them flying, and you'll see that they probably are. So the flag has continued to live a life over a hundred years riding a reputation that may not have been the original intention. I wanted to throw up at the idol worship of Nathan Bedford Forest. Although some people may feel bigger by excluding others that are different from them, luckily not everyone is such an idiot. I also enjoyed his explanations about the disparate views of history (north vs. south, etc.), it makes this obsession even more sad because of how inaccurate the passed-down-from-generation-to-generation "fables" really are. And they are nothing more than that. Everyone in our book club loved this book, and it is our favorite to date! Keep up the great work, Tony! The only unfortunate consequence of this book is that people who read it that have never been to the US might jump to the conclusion that we are all this nuts, and decidedly we are not! Or at least the people that don't live down south...
Rating:
Summary: Great Take from Across the Big Divide
Review: Being a Northerner whose ancestors fought for the Union, I've always struggled to understand the tenacity the South holds onto the Civil War. Living for a year in Charleston, S.C. didn't provide any illumination, but did leave me with a bitter taste towards Confederate culture. Tony Horwitz's glimpse into the South provides a great read. Anyone looking for easy and unambigious answers should look elsewhere. But the author like myself seems to struggle to come to grips with the Southern peculiarities and is always clear and honest with his approach to his subjects and also the reader. His emotions are clearly communicated, at times hopeful, at times frusturated, at times frightend. I recommend this to anyone with an interest in either modern American culture or the Civil War.
Rating: 
Summary: Author's Ambiguous Stand
Review: I had mixed feelings about this book. I dont doubt that the civil war re-enactors and Confederacy worshippers exist and are thriving in the US southern states, and Horwitz has reported on them, and their activities factually. I personally find this yearning for a bigotted, restricted, elitist and cruel society pretty repellant, and the refusal of most of those Horwitz interviewed to accept that African-Americans and other minority groups had any social rights hypocritical, at the very least. Horwitz seems to have this sneaking admiration for all these people merely because they are so dedicated to their cause - as though that is enough to gain respect - irrespective of what the cause espouses. He constantly mentions how neatly these people dress and how well-ordered and organised they are - as if admiring the orderliness of their prejudice. I dont even know if Horwitz visited Atlanta - his perceptions are so far off. He talks about the number of multi-racial couples to be seen and easy friendships between blacks and whites there - I dont know what parts he was in - I saw no such thing in my visit there for almost a month. There is even a part about southern Jews who were accepted as part of the Confederacy - as if this made the Confederacy tolerant - ignoring the fact that orthodox jews have always tended to be conservative and racist (note Israels strong support for apartheid and white racist regimes in Africa). I found this book generally distasteful as an attempt to put a veneer of humour and admiration on bigotry and race-hatred. Horwitz' interviews with blacks seem to be as an after-thought, and asides to his main theme of respecting people for their dedication to a cause, not the harm it does to wider society.
Rating:
Summary: Those hardcores really do smell
Review: This book was fabulous and really opens a "world" to its readers.
My brother and I read this book together. When I went to his re-enactment on July 4th, I met one of the hardcores. I could tell he was a hardcore from 20 yards--the stench was overpowering. My hard core friend even removes his bridge work and his one, lone snaggle tooth was a nice touch.
I thought the cover photo was the author--but this gentleman says that it is Hodges--the founder of the Civil Wargasm! He also said that Hodges has yet to wash the shirt.
I must confess, I kind of felt like gagging when I stood to close.
A wonderful read!
Rating:
Summary: Brilliant!
Review: Simply one of the best books I've ever read. Humorous,factual and a darn good read.
Rating:
Summary: "The Guy on the Cover"
Review: In response to the June 6, 2003 inquiry by Phillip Gilkey regarding the identity of the person on the cover of Tony Horowitz's fabulous book....it is none other than Robert Lee Hodge, decidedly "non-Farb" re-enactor extrordinaire with whom the author became acquainted in the writing of the book (or perhaps even a catalyst for the journey which became the book?) Photo credit and I.D. of Hodge is printed on the back of the book if memory serves.
Now for the review: read it. You will be vastly entertained. I was most amused with the "Civil Wargasm"...something I have done myself in moderated form as an interested tourist and Civil War buff, not with the fanatical purity of the true believer. But my journeys wouldn't have made a very good book. Horowitz's have.
Rating:
Summary: Who is that guy?
Review: Does anybody have any information on who that guy is on the cover of Confederates in the Attic?
Rating:
Summary: What a Civil Wargasm !
Review: This is a wonderful read, especially if you are Southern, or if you have ever wondered just what this fixation Southerners have on the Civil War is all about. Horowitz combines some Civil War 101 with a travelogue of the South and Civil War battlefields.
In the process he introduces the reader to a whole bunch of memorable characters, and you learn what a Civil Wargasm is. James McPherson author of the Battle Cry of Freedom ( my choice as the best book on the Civil War ) says, " If you want to know why the war isn't over yet in the South, read Confederates in the Attic to find out" I agree, and would add that Horowitz's style that combines humor with indepth writing makes this one of those books you just don't want to see end.
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