Down Along with That Devil's Bones: A Reckoning with Monuments, Memory, and the Legacy of White Supremacy
Historical biography, History, United States history
Synthetic audio, Automated braille
Summary
&“We can no longer see ourselves as minor spectators or weary watchers of history after finishing this astonishing work of nonfiction.&” —Kiese Laymon, author of Heavy In Down Along with That Devil&’s Bones, journalist Connor Towne O&’Neill takes a… deep dive into American history, exposing the still-raging battles over monuments dedicated to one of the most notorious Confederate generals, Nathan Bedford Forrest. Through the lens of these conflicts, O&’Neill examines the legacy of white supremacy in America, in a sobering and fascinating work sure to resonate with readers of Tony Horwitz, Timothy B. Tyson, and Robin DiAngelo. When O&’Neill first moved to Alabama, as a white Northerner, he felt somewhat removed from the racism Confederate monuments represented. Then one day in Selma, he stumbled across a group of citizens protecting a monument to Forrest, the officer who became the first Grand Wizard of the Ku Klux Klan and whom William Tecumseh Sherman referred to as &“that devil.&” O&’Neill sets off to visit other disputed memorials to Forrest across the South, talking with men and women who believe they are protecting their heritage, and those who have a different view of the man&’s poisonous history. O&’Neill&’s reporting and thoughtful, deeply personal analysis make it clear that white supremacy is not a regional affliction but is in fact coded into the DNA of the entire country. Down Along with That Devil&’s Bones presents an important and eye-opening account of how we got from Appomattox to Charlottesville, and where, if we can truly understand and transcend our past, we could be headed next.