Hidden History of the Mississippi Delta

Ryan Starrett, Joshua Keith Foreman

• Publisher: The History Press
• Year: 2023
• Edition: 0
• eBook ISBN:
  9781439677346
• Topic: History
• Subtopic: North American History
• Index: History

Unearth bounty from the Mississippi Delta The conquistadors staggered through the Delta half-starved, mostly naked, dripping with swamp water. They became the first Europeans to walk in the shade of the Delta's ancient cypress trees, hear the howl of the red wolf, and eat the maize that would give the Delta its signature dish: the hot tamale. Over the centuries, the bountiful soil of the Delta would beckon to those from all over the world. Others came because they had no choice, tilling the land while they gave rise to a new and haunting music. Learn what the Delta was and what it became, and meet the characters who created what James C. Cobb called "the most southern place on earth." In this collection of the nearly forgotten, authors Ryan Starrett and Josh Foreman explore one of the most complicated and culturally rich areas in the country.

Table of contents

• Front Cover
• Title Page
• Copyright
• Dedication
• Contents
• Foreword, by Tim Kalich
• Acknowledgements
• 1. El Infierno de Misisipi
• 2. “The Thickest Timber I Had Ever Seen”
• 3. “The Beast of Waste and Desolation”
• 4. “It Is a Greater Relief to Swear Than to Pray”
• 5. “Ain’t No Dish Rag”
• 6. “My Life Seems So Misery”
• 7. Childhood in the Delta
• 8. “The KGB of the Cotton Patches”
• 9. “She Tried”
• 10. Cotton Corn Is King
• Notes
• About the Authors