Atticus Finch, where are you?

Confederates in the Attic came highly recommended from multiple sources. Tony Horwitz travelled through all the Confederate states, visiting Civil War sites and getting to know the people who keep it alive in various ways.

I made it through three chapters! Three whole chapters, which took me from the Introduction, through North Carolina, and half of South Carolina.

It's not that it wasn't well-written (Horwitz is an excellent writer). It's not that the subject matter is boring (I'm not all that interested in the Civil War, but the book isn't about the War, it's about the contemporary ways it is remembered). It's not that the idea of keeping the Confederacy alive has undertones of racial disharmony (Horwitz does a good job, in the first three chapters, of crossing the street frequently to talk to black folk and ask what they think of DAC celebrations, the flag debate, and memorials.)

Honestly and ultimately, it was overdue at the library, and someone else reserved it so I couldn't re-check it out. =) And I am not about to rack up the library fines! Again.

But it got to be too much, after only three chapters and two states. After hanging out with the Civil War reenactors, the joint Daughters of the Confederacy/Sons of the Confederacy after-dinner trivia, and the museum curators, I got the point. The stories of the people were fascinating -- they all emphasized escapism, family heritage, and a sense of belonging as reasons why they keep the memory of the Confederacy alive. But though fascinating, it was all a little repetitive. And I didn't feel like reading the different manifestations of the same sentiments through Virginia, Alabama, Mississippi, and the rest of the Confederate states.

I did, however, re-request it from the library, so perhaps if I keep putting myself in queue I can eventually finish the book.