7 Books That Complicate Stories About the South

Writing about the South is difficult; it requires perceiving truth where truth has been obfuscated and redacted, and it requires research—whether personal, communal, or historical—to capture a region that is more rooted in its specific “placeness” than most places are. In his essay entitled “Southings,” Thomas Dai writes that “Southern identity is perceived by most to be marooned in the before times, somewhere betwixt Civil War and Civil Rights.” This stagnacy in the perceived identity of a region that sprawls across eleven, twelve, even sixteen states (depending on who you ask) ultimately means that writing about the South requires the desire and ability to peel away a film that flattens the textured beliefs, experiences, and desires of Southerners–those who bear the brunt of negative stereotypes about the region. 

But writing about the South isn’t just about addressing the misconceptions of outsiders. One must also possess the ability to see beauty, worth, and humanity where we have been taught that these qualities do not exist. As a result, the books on this list contain varied evocations of life in a largely misunderstood region: dark soil fertilized with bodily fluids, mouthfuls of tea sweetened with heaping spoonfuls of sugar, women wielding other-worldly knowledge, tourist-clogged beaches, fragrant thunderstorms rolling in over mountains, floodwater rising and swirling, the slap of sandals on simmering pavement, protests rippling through city streets, kitchen windows peering out over nourishing gardens, thick tendrils of fiery religiosity all slithering up toward the same God. These books, each of which adds a new texture, layer, and contradiction to the story of what the South really is, will resonate with readers who love and live in deeply complex, complicated places. 

Make Your Way Home by Carrie R. Moore

In Carrie R. Moore’s debut, Black men and women work to understand painful histories, repressive traditions, and find belonging. Through stories dealing with religion, pregnancy, marriage, and ancestry, Moore builds a collection of characters and ideas that represent the unique experiences of Black Southerners. The narratives in Make Your Way Home are tinged with social, cultural, and environmental horrors, but they take time to revel in the complexity and diversity of the South.

Once a City Said edited by Joy Priest 

A poetry anthology orchestrated in response to the repression, brutality, and segregation cemented in the foundation of Louisville, Kentucky, Once a City Said uplifts poetic voices to tell the multifaceted story of a Southern city. These poems are exacting meditations on the way it feels to live in a unique, diverse place that values tourism and status quo over the wellbeing of its citizens. 

Southernmost by Silas House 

Garth Greenwell calls Southernmost a “novel of painful, finally revelatory awakening, of fierce love and necessary disaster.” Opening in the midst of a flood of biblical proportions, Southernmost is a story about destruction, prejudice, and forgiveness that follows Asher, an evangelical preacher, as he endures a crisis of faith. As the narrative unfolds, it demonstrates the propensity for change that is possible in the South, how it has the potential to become a place that celebrates and protects its most vulnerable populations. 

Revival Season by Monica West 

Revival Season opens as the Horton family, armed with the word of God, travels toward Georgia to lead healing services for the sick and injured. An intricate novel about the complications of religion, money, power, and faith, this debut is propelled by a profoundly interesting narrator and captivating writing. West investigates and analyzes the treatment of women within an evangelical, Southern space and crafts a depiction of the Bible Belt that is both critical and compassionate. 

Men We Reaped by Jesmyn Ward 

Men We Reaped is Ward’s memoir about how and why five Black men in her life died in just four years. It’s a narrative about the way the lives of Black American Southerners are thoroughly tainted by the systemic deaths of Black men. The book offers a powerful perspective on the dilemma of loving a place while being irreparably hurt by it. Ward writes: “I knew there was much to hate about home, the racism and inequality and poverty which is why I left, yet I loved it.”

The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett

This novel is a stunning exploration of colorism stemming from the traumatic legacy of slavery. How do societal forces shape our understandings of ourselves and others? What does it mean when a Black person is not perceived to be Black? The Vanishing Half follows the separate journeys of light-skinned twin sisters born in the Jim Crow South. With deep consideration of the intricacies of racial identity, Bennett’s second novel is infused with compelling themes, lush prose, and a valuable discussion about passing. 

Gay Poems for Red States by Willie Edward Taylor Carver Jr.

In the preface to Gay Poems for Red States, Carver writes that he hopes to make a space for dreaming through storytelling. This poetry collection comes from the desperate hope for a stable future harbored by so many queer individuals from the South. It is hope that allows these heartfelt poems to confront the homophobia that simmers beneath a veneer of Southern hospitality.