The Books That Mattered

July 15, 2012
A Southern writer reflects on the lessons learned from a lifetime dedicated to literature. In his latest work, Gaillard (English/Univ. of South Alabama; With Music and Justice for All: Some Southerners and Their Passions, 2008, etc.) pays homage to the many writers who came before him. Though subtitled "A Reader's Memoir," it's more than that. A mix of biography, autobiography and literary criticism, the result is a heartfelt love letter to literature. Wavering precariously on the border between critic and bibliophile, Gaillard bucks both roles by combining them, bringing with him a lifetime spent buried in books. While each chapter explores a particular theme--race, region, reportage, etc.--his conclusions come not from his own experiences, but the experience of reading others' work through a historical lens. As such, when tackling Southern race relations (a subject in which Gaillard is well-versed), he pairs Harper Lee's To Kill A Mockingbird alongside the tragic real-life story of the Scottsboro Boys, nine African-American teenagers sentenced to death based on little more than scurrilous testimony. The author repeats this juxtaposition of life and literature throughout, providing an evaporative effect between fact and fiction. Gaillard's revelations are mostly modest, and though he sets forth the occasional semicontroversial claim--in one instance he argues that the 1960s work of Nikki Giovanni and Eldridge Cleaver was "more catharsis than literature"--it is his ability to rise above this fray that makes for a pleasurable reading experience. An exuberantly written account of one writer's leap toward understanding life's intersection with literature.

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October 1, 2012

Widely respected academic and award-winning Alabama author Gaillard (writer in residence, Univ. of South Alabama; Cradle of Freedom and Watermelon Wine) combines his interests in reading, writing, lecturing, literature, and history in this memoir that was originally intended as a companion to an arts and humanities course at Auburn University. He links books thematically within his chapters (i.e., "Southern Voices," "Family Histories") and discusses such authors as Mark Twain, Eudora Welty, James Herriot, Laura Hillenbrand, and fellow Alabamians Rick Bragg, Sena Jeter Naslund, and Harper Lee. VERDICT Somewhat repetitive and more heartfelt than original, the resulting book reads like a series of lectures by a favorite professor who likes the American classics, with an emphasis on Southern regional and best-selling authors, and the occasional New York Times best seller. Recommended only as interest warrants.--Pam Kingsbury, Univ. of North Alabama, Florence

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