Chapter 16
A Community of Tennessee Writers, Readers & Passersby

A Writer’s Words

A newspaperman recalls an unexpected afternoon with legendary author Shelby Foote

I was walking past Shelby Foote’s house, hidden by large pin oak trees, when I heard a lawnmower in the process of being cranked. Next came a series of curse words in an elegant Southern drawl that made swearing sound almost patrician.

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Taking the Cure

Lol Tolhurst’s memoir tells a story of friendship and music

cured

Set against the history of one of the quintessential ‘80s alternative rock bands, Lol Tolhurst’s memoir, Cured: The Tale of Two Imaginary Boys, tells an engaging tale of transformation and redemption. Tolhurst will sign copies of Cured at Howlin’ Books in Nashville on December 8 at 6 p.m., and at The Booksellers at Laurelwood in Memphis on December 11 at 2 p.m.

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Volunteer Grit

“Forward My Brave Boys!” is the surprisingly readable diary of a Confederate regiment

forward_my_brave_boys-300The 11th Tennessee Volunteer Infantry, C.S.A., lives again in M. Todd Cathey and Gary W. Waddey’s massive “Forward My Brave Boys!” Born from Southern outrage, the volunteer regiment encountered both tedium and hardship during the Civil War.

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Preparing for Change

In Seeds on Ice, Memphis native Cary Fowler explains the need for a global seed vault

seeds-on-ice-front-coverCary Fowler is the driving force behind the Svalbard Global Seed Vault, a storehouse of genetic diversity located beneath the icy landscape of northernmost Norway. In Seeds on Ice, Fowler explains how the vault came to be and offers a virtual visit to its Arctic home via photographs by Mari Tefre. Fowler will appear at The Booksellers at Laurelwood in Memphis on December 10.

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Marine Corps Hero

Historian James Carl Nelson follows a young Tennessee soldier on the front lines of World War I

i-will-hold-cover-jpgIn I Will Hold, James Carl Nelson tells the story of Clifton Cates, a University of Tennessee law-school graduate who joined the Marines just as the U.S. entered the Great War. The young soldier’s amazing luck and bravery during the carnage made him a him a hero.

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The Skinless Horse

Michael Chabon’s Moonglow is the death-bed memoir of a fictional Jewish scientist

moonglowIn Michael Chabon’s new novel, Moonglow, a dying man summons his grandson and reveals his life story, including picaresque adventure, tragic romance, and stellar ambition—and the lingering psycho-social damage inflicted by the Holocaust. Chabon will discuss Moonglow at the Nashville Public Library on December 4 at 3 p.m.

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