Streetcar Named Desire

by Tennessee Williams

Southern Belle Blanche DuBois goes to live in New Orleans with her sister, Stella, and brother-in-law, Stanley.  Blanche and Stanley immediately clash.  To make matters worse, Blanche has become involved with Stanley’s friend, Mitch.  However, Stanley is determined to keep Blanche and Mitch from making it to the altar.

The Color Purple

by Alice Walker

Celie is young woman already beaten down by a rape and unwanted pregnancy.  She is then forced into marrying someone she does not love, and who does not love her.  Celie’s husband abuses her, and she must find strength to survive.  The book vividly examines the life of an African-American female in the 1920’s rural south.

Native Son

by Richard Wright

Bigger Thomas is forced into hiding when he accidentally kills the white daughter of his wealthy boss. Thomas goes into hiding and from there a manhunt ensues that ends in his incarceration and eventual trial.  Thomas remains strong and fiercely unapologetic as he faces the ultimate price: the death penalty.

any ghost stories of Savannah.

A Painted House

by John Grisham

The year is 1952 and Luke Chandler, a young boy grows up on an Arkansas farm where he picks cotton along with many workers from Mexico and his native home.  As tensions escalate between the diverse groups of people, Luke witnesses many brutal sights including a birth and even a couple of murders.

Gap Creek

by Robert Morgan

South Carolinian Julie Harmon has lost most of her family members, but finds powerful, romantic love in Hank Richards.  They marry but encounter hardships such as the difficulties involved with the turn of the century and natural disasters that test their love and strength to survive.

Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil

by John Berendt

The brilliant Savannah, Georgia is known for its ghostly stories and Southern gentile.  Berendt meets a colorful array of people there including the Lady Chablis and the wealthy antiques dealer Jim Williams, who stood trial for the shooting death of his house helper.  What follows is a haunting story fit to be classified in the realm of the many ghost stories of Savannah.

Cold Mountain

by Charles Frazier

Readers travel with Inman, a soldier who has deserted the Civil War and who is facing the long path back to his beloved Ada.  As Inman struggles to return home, Ada struggles to survive on her father’s farm.  Readers will continuously wonder through this captivating and romantic story whether these two people will be returned to one another.

The Collected Stories of Eudora Welty

The Southern author introduces her own work in this complete collection of her stories.  Welty has created an array of complex characters, some not so easy to understand.  At times humorous, at times heartbreaking, the end result of this collection is an examination of relationships between people.

invisible Man

by Ralph Ellison

One man’s search for truth and identity fills this novel about a young African-American man wrongly expelled from college.  As he makes his way north to find a better home, he learns of shocking betrayals and hardships.

The Complete Stories

by Flannery O’Connor

Flannery O’Connor’s vibrant characters and use of local color paint a vivid picture of the south.  She mixes Southern Gothic with her traditional Catholic values in almost every story, make each as memorable as the last.

Gods and Generals

by Jeff Shaara

Shaara paints a vivid portrait of the lives of Generals Jackson, Lee, Hancock, and Chamberlain in this novel set just before the battle of Gettysburg.  Each general must face his limitations and personal conflicts as the battle approaches. 

All the Pretty Horses

by Cormac McCarthy

Set in the ruggedly beautiful southwestern landscape, this novel tells the story of John Grady Cole, a 16-year-old Texan who rides with his friend, Lacey Rawlins, into Mexico where he tragically falls in love with a Spanish Hacendado’s beautiful daughter. 

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Last update 03/15/2010