Southerners have always held barbecues to
mark homecomings, reunions, events - today barbecue signifies celebration as much as ever. Reed traces the history of Southern bar- becue from its roots in the sixteenth-century Caribbean to today, written with a nice blend of historical fact and good humor. With fifty-one recipes for many classic vari-
eties of barbecue as well as side dishes, he truly celebrates the enduring tradition of “pig pickins, ” pulled pork, brisket and so many other tasty treats. Featured recipes include “Two Ways to West Texas Beef Ribs,” along with good ones for pork shoulder and BBQ chicken. Rubs and sauces include Memphis Pork Rub, Piedmont Dip, and Lone Star Sauce and Mop. Cornbread, hushpuppies, and slaw are featured side dishes. Both of these “Savor the South” cookbooks
are essential for every good Southern cook. If you are a true Southerner, get in touch with your heritage. If you are a Yankee, get these books and pretend to be Southern. It might just make you want to move down.
-Michael Buffalo Smith
Hardlines: Rough Southern Poetry, A collection of contem- porary poems explor- ing the grit of work, love, and the land down South. Daniel Cross Turner and William Wright (University of South Carolina Press)
I have always loved poetry, and “rough”
poetry is one of my favorite styles. No small wonder that this volume brought more than one smile to my face during my initial read- ing. These are poems about real Southerners, real Southern life. No sugar coating. No
clichés. Just the real South, the good, the bad and the ugly. You will no doubt recognize many of the
characters. I sure did. As a matter of fact, I’d bet that if you are honest, you will even see yourself in some of these characters. Hard Lines examines the darker side of
Southern life, penned by a selection of poets from very diverse backgrounds. There are sixty contemporary poets features, with two hundred poems that fall under the category referred to as "Grit Lit." Hard Lines is an amazing look at the real,
true South. Check it out. -Michael Buffalo Smith
Praxis By Robert Midget (Same Old Story Publishing) I met the young author
Robert Midget through his mother Krys at the South- ern Festival of Books in Nashville last October. He’s a great young man with a
true gift for writing science fiction. Praxis is the second novel in the Vagabonds
Saga. It has been described as “The Godfather Meets Star Wars.” I can see that. This story continues with the characters already estab- lished in his equally engaging Vagabonds novel. Praxis, like it’s predecessor, has all of the
adventure, drama and emotion of a Star Wars story. His character development is a gift that many authors study for years and fail to achieve. Praxis herself is a fully developed character. One of the very few survivors of her home planet, she has been raised to be a killing machine. As a part of the much feared Vortigan crime family, she is now re-evaluat- ing her stance in life and everything that goes along with it.
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