Week Thirty Nine: The State of Jones

The State of Jones by Sally Jenkins and John Stauffer is a history book, one that turns the stones over on a forgotten piece of a much more famous event. Like Schindler's List on the Holocaust or The IBM/Holocaust book by Edwin Black, the details of an extremely interesting and enlightening sub-set of events often lie there waiting for your attention.

In this case the American Civil War and the County of Jones in Mississippi which effectively seceded from the Confederacy and stood for slave rights, the rights of the poor and the human rights of dissenters. Of course its not as black and white as all that but it's not far from it.

Guerrilla Warfare, insane generals mad with blood-lust and lacking in sense, the futility of war and the ultimate waste of time that the Civil War was. As the defeated racist and bigoted people of the south, who (which I did not know) were immediately put back in charge of the place after Lincoln was assassinated, despite the efforts of the people of the south who did not support slavery, rich plantation owners abuses and other horrible events.

And at the center of it all one man, a giant Clint Eastwood esque hero/villain (depending on your perspective) who ran his own war against anyone who threatened his family and his world view (which was mostly but not 100% liberal and fair) - reads like a movie waiting to be made.

Fascinating and enthralling detail and educational on the Civil War, how Republicans and Democrats seem to have flipped their beliefs in the last 150 odd years is beyond me.

Next week - as yet unknown.