July Reviews

Updated July 7

Focus on History

and North Carolina

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Galvanized:

The Odyssey of a Reluctant Carolina Confederate

by Michael K. Brantley

Potomac Books (2020)

3+ To-Be-Read Piles

Reviewer Leo Rand

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"My people" (like my grandparents on my dad's side and a few generations before them) were from coastal North Carolina. My granddad grew up really poor and all that. So Brantley's Galvanized reminded me of the summers I'd spend on the water off North Carolina and in hot fields and walking down dirt roads with my grandparents when my parents would send me out there.

 

Basically, Brantley (who's from the Tar Heel State) started exploring his roots, discovered his descent from a Civil War private who fought on both sides, and ended up writing this soldier's story. Brantley mentions Tony Horwitz's Confederates in the Attic. Well, Brantley doesn't write, or explore, quite like that, but he does a good job of bringing lost, common-man history to life, and he ties his themes into the issues of today by discussing things like presentism and imposing modern perspectives on historical figures and events. Given the current political and social situation in the U.S., and Brantley's enthusiasm for his subjects, Galvanized makes a great, timely read for anyone looking to dig a little deeper.

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July News

Sneak Peeks:

Our Own Sage Webb's

Short-Story Collection

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Sage's Participation in a

Jazz Age Re-Release

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Sage's legal thriller that puts readers on the deck of a sailboat bound for

St. Kitts and then drops them at counsel table in a federal courtroom

Waves

As a Bookshop affiliate, we make money if you buy through that link.

Just FYI.

July Reviews

Updated July 7

Focus on History

and North Carolina

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Searching for Virginia Dare

by Marjorie Hudson

Press 53 (2013 for edition I read)

4 To-Be-Read Piles

Reviewer Liz Merton

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This locked-down summer, I truly enjoyed hitting the road with Marjorie Hudson as she went in search of the Lost Colony of Roanoke and the first Anglo child born in North America: Virginia Dare. In this part memoir, part "history mystery," Hudson takes readers to North Carolina to look for the 117 English settlers who arrived on Roanoke Island in 1587 and later vanished, leaving a resupply ship arriving in 1590 to wonder at the settlers' fate.

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While I wish Hudson had given us just a few more clues regarding her past (to help readers understand better the personal explorations she undertakes), she does offer her audience ideas for further reading/viewing. She mentions the movie Looking for Ms. Locklear, which I watched after finishing Virginia Dare.  Lighthearted and heartwarming, this documentary offers a little more on the Lumbee people Hudson discusses in Virginia Dare. And I'll definitely be digging into more books on Roanoke soon, so stay tuned! 

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July News

More news coming soon!

As a Bookshop affiliate, we make money if you buy through that link.

Just FYI.

Waves

Read Local, L.L.C., is a small (we hope to grow!) community of book lovers. We review books published by independent/university/small presses and post our reviews and thoughts in an effort to raise awareness of independent-press books. The Read Local, L.L.C., entity is owned by the parent company of Stoneman House Press, L.L.C., and that publisher's work appears on this website (we make money when Stoneman House sells books), but not everyone who writes content for us or participates in our community works for Stoneman House. Aside from Stoneman House, we also have relationships (personal and/or professional) with some of the authors whose books appear here. Some (like Sage Webb) write reviews for us and help lead us (and they make money when their books sell). We note when we have a relationship with a book, publisher, or author. Otherwise, we do not have relationships with the authors and publishers listed here. They appear here only because we liked their books and we like reviewing books. (We will be as transparent as possible when we post here about things in which we have a financial stake. Not just because of regulations like those in Part 255 of Title 16 of the Code of Federal Regulations, but because we really are here just to have some literary fun.) If you are an author or publisher of a book that appears here, feel free to reach out to us! We'd love to hear from you. We are at readlocalbooks@hotmail.com. And if you are an author or publisher and you would like us to remove your book from our site, just let us know. We are here to serve the literary community. If you have questions, reach out.

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