Chapter 16
A Community of Tennessee Writers, Readers & Passersby

The Two Souths

Frye Gaillard and Cynthia Tucker explain how Southern politics shaped the modern United States

In The Southernization of America: A Story of Democracy in the Balance, Frye Gaillard and Cynthia Tucker see two traditions in the modern political history of the South, with clashing implications for the state of American democracy.

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Becoming the Characters

June Hall McCash discusses her novel The Truth Keepers

The Truth Keepers, the new novel by June Hall McCash, explores the true history of the du Bignon family in coastal Georgia during the 19th century. The story unfolds from the perspectives of his wife and mistress as each woman reckons with her secret past.

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The Glorious Pastime: Mary Laura Philpott

Mary Laura Philpott loves sad books … and happy ones

Mary Laura Philpott’s forthcoming book, Bomb Shelter: Love, Time, and Other Explosives, due in April, has been named among the most anticipated releases of 2022, and Parnassus Books will host a launch party for Bomb Shelter at the Hilton Green Hills in Nashville on April 10. Today, Philpott answers our Glorious Pastime questionnaire. 

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The Promise of a Person

Kathryn Williams spins the timeless story of the Grand Duchess Anastasia into a YA mystery

In The Storyteller, the new YA novel by Kathryn Williams, 17-year-old Jess pretends to be someone she’s not when she’s around her boyfriend and his friends. But when she uncovers new evidence regarding the mysterious fate of the Grand Duchess Anastasia of Russia, Jess is forced to delve deeper into the meaning of identity — and the cost of deception.

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The Third Pillar of the Community

Leigh Ann Gardner documents Tennessee’s African American lodges and cemeteries

Leigh Ann Gardner talks with Chapter 16 about her book To Care for the Sick and Bury the Dead, which delves into the history of Tennessee’s African American lodges and offers an illustrated survey of surviving lodge cemeteries across the state.

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Not as Different as We Think

Elizabeth Passarella on being a “muddled mashup of everything”

Raised in a conservative corner of Memphis, Elizabeth Passarella now makes her home in New York City, and Good Apple: Tales of a Southern Evangelical in New York tells her story: of moving to the city, getting married, becoming a Democrat, and raising a family, all while maintaining her unquenchable Christian faith.

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