“South to America” Wins National Book Award
When talking about the American South and its history, a wide swath of opinions abound, both good and unfavorable. While these perceptions often hold a measure of truth, they often fail to reveal the complete picture, which is complex, full of paradox, and often contradictory.
In her provocative essay collection, South to America: A Journey Below the Mason-Dixon to Understand the Soul of a Nation, Imani Perry, professor of African American studies at Princeton, asserts that the deep historical recesses of the American South have had a profound impact on our nation, a narrative that continues to influence the economic, social, and political direction of America today.
In recognition of the book’s significance, Perry at this month’s 73rd National Book Awards Ceremony was named the winner of the 2022 National Book Award for Nonfiction by the National Book Foundation. The mission of the foundation is to celebrate the best literature published in the United States, expand its audience and ensure that books have a prominent place in our culture.
Perry, a professor of African American studies at Princeton and winner of a PEN Award for her biography of playwright Lorraine Hansberry, takes great pride in offering readers an uncommon perspective on the region and what it means for the future as the U.S. wrestles with racial, socio-economic, and political issues in the days ahead.
Born herself in Birmingham, Alabama, Perry spent her formative years in Massachusetts and Chicago. Throughout the book, Perry does an exegesis of various geographical locations — mainly cities, but also states and regions in order to capture its history, culture, and story roadmap. The result is a reflective and at times controversial read that has sparked both dialogue and powerful debate
As a contributing writer for The Atlantic, Perry wrote that the South is “both an idea and a region,” one she says she has had an obsession with since her birth. In researching the book, she trekked to more than a dozen Southern cities aiming to not only unearth the hidden horrors of their history but the promise these locales hold in terms of a better tomorrow.