Ice Tea And Elvis

Rating:
Summary: An insider's look
Review: Despite Middleton's English eccentricities at times coming out, this makes for a great read. His idea to travel across the Deep South using not only a rental car but also all other forms from Greyhhound bus to Amtrak train allows him to meet a good cross section of people to gain insight into the region. It's also the first travel book I've read that fully explains how BBQ differs region to region in the South and how grits has such a hold on Southerners. His take on Southerners' obsession with heroes of the Lost Cause (i.e., the Civil War) really hits home and shines a lot of light on the recent Confederate flag debate in South Carolina. Highly recommended and check out his other stuff especially "Last Disco in Outer Mongolia."

Rating:
Summary: New Thoughts on the New South
Review: Despite Middleton's English eccentricities at times coming out, this makes for a great read. His idea to travel across the Deep South using not only a rental car but also all other forms from Greyhhound bus to Amtrak train allows him to meet a good cross section of people to gain insight into the region. It's also the first travel book I've read that fully explains how BBQ differs region to region in the South and how grits has such a hold on Southerners. His take on Southerners' obsession with heroes of the Lost Cause (i.e., the Civil War) really hits home and shines a lot of light on the recent Confederate flag debate in South Carolina. Highly recommended and check out his other stuff especially "Last Disco in Outer Mongolia."

Rating:
Summary: Excellent book! Very entertaining view of the South.
Review: Middleton's book views the South in a way it has never been considered before: through British eyes. His humorous take on everything from Miami apartment complexes to Dollywood makes for a fun, easy read. I highly recommend this book.

Rating:
Summary: Excellent book! Very entertaining view of the South.
Review: Middleton's book views the South in a way it has never been considered before: through British eyes. His humorous take on everything from Miami apartment complexes to Dollywood makes for a fun, easy read. I highly recommend this book.

Rating:
Summary: An insider's look
Review: Not only did I read this book I was one of the many folks that Nick met along the way. His book is insightful and is an irreverent look at the US South. Having been born, raised and educated there I felt that he did it justice. Also having lived in England for a year I can appreciate the humor with which he approaches the state of mind that defines American Southerners. We often consider ourselves expatriates just living in another region of the US. I was impressed at the breadth of his travels around the south and with the depth of the questions that he asked. I remember receiving emails full of questions about places and attitudes he encountered along the way. He really tapped into the perspectives that a native had to offer. I found it interesting, but then again I am in the book, but unfortunately most Americans unaccustomed to Brit humor and writing style may find this a little dry for their tastes. It is worth a read, peel back the layers and read the dialogue within the dialogue of the folks and places he encounters and I think you will be well rewarded.

Rating:
Summary: Another Brit goes adventuring through the US South
Review: One could fill a bookshelf with books by Brits writing about the South. Their usual approach is to interview people loitering outside bus stations in the poorer section of town, and surprise, surprise, such interviews create the image of Southerners as incredibly ignorant, and the non-US reader gets a good laugh at 'those stupid Americans.' Middleton does a bit of that, but to his credit, he approaches the South with a more positive orientation than most writers have done. Middleton mainly follows the tourist's route, using rented car, bus, and train, although he also gets off the beaten path to investigate places like the Mississippi Delta region. Because of his even-handedness, the end result is not as fun to read as a book that ridicules the South, but it's a more solid, more balanced book than most of its genre. Middleton has a good sense of humour and frequently takes jabs at Southern (and American) idiosyncrasies, but he also takes pains to point out the positive and educate the reader about Southern history. It would be ideal for someone outside the US planning on visiting the South, but it's not exactly a page-turner.