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The best novel about the South was written by a Yankee, James Jones, of Illinois. And the book isn't really about the South but about a small Midwestern town---Some Came Running. However, there is a big section of the book where the book's main character, Dave Hirsch, and his southern buddy, 'Bama Dillert, drive thru the South to vacation in Miami Beach. The novel was set in 1946 to about 1950 so it was fascinating to read of the descriptions of the South before the interstate highways were built. Basically it showed the two different reactions of the characters to the Southerners. Hirsch was disturbed by the hard look that he thought were directed toward him by the rednecks while the more easy going 'Bama just laughed it off and said they were just good ol' boys. Very interesting discussion between them during the car ride about race relations. Then a big encounter with a "Confederate" in North Florida.

Unfortunately MOST of the novel was edited it out although I know there are unabridged copies of it out there somewhere which I am DYING to find. The critics HATED that novel because they thought it was too "trivial" because it dealt with "ordinary people." I was riveted by it and would LOVE to read the full unabridge novel.

p.s. Yes, there is a movie called Some Came Running but the ONLY similarity between the two are the title, names of the characters, and the Midwest setting. Other than that there is NO relation between the two. NONE. +

Then a big encounter with a "Confederate" in North Florida.

Joe Dirt country. I knew two folks from the "pork chop" who went to see Joe Dirt because they all "knew somebody like that" when they were growing up in North Florida.

Saw the film with Dean Martin. I also had a coworker who also had Professor James Jones at FIU.

it was fascinating to read of the descriptions of the South before the interstate highways were built.

In my childhood my family would vacation in Florida. We would follow highway 19 and highway 41 which were two lane roads back then. What a different world. It wasn't until I was a teenager that Interstate 75 was finished, just in time for spring break, LOL.

There was the goat man. Maybe someone else has heard of him. We would see him along the highway in his horse drawn wagon with several goats in tow. I take it everything he owned was on that wagon. He was a fixture in those days.