My Tears Spoiled My Aim: and Other Reflections on Southern Culture

My Tears Spoiled My Aim: and Other Reflections on Southern Culture

With characteristic tongue-in-cheek wit, Reed tackles the questions, Just what is “the South” today? Where is it? Why are Southerners so devoted to it? Instructional maps include “Where Kudzu Grows” and “States Mentioned in Country Music Lyrics.” "Wonderfully authentic . . . admirably light-hearted. . . ." (Kirkus Reviews) "Nothing short of pure delight." (Greensboro News and Record) "An easy writing style and a wonderful ear for language and wit." (Southern Living) "A shrewd, clearsighted observer. . . . Intelligent-and hilarious-analyses of Southern manners and morals. . . . Searching social criticism thatis not preachy or meretricious. . . . His aim is true." (VirginiaQuarterly Review) "Falls somewhere between scholarship and journalism, offering readable and amusing insights on the South." (National Review) "Full of wit, grace, imagination, and intelligence. . . . A delight to read. . . . If Richard Petty had a Ph.D. and produced scholarship, he would write like this." (Darden Asbury Pyron, Journal of Southern History) "The South's leading sociological chronicler [provides] a 'fun read.'" (Bobbie Malone, Georgia Historical Quarterly) "Some of the most enjoyable sociological essays I have read in a long time. . . . often humorous, surprising, and anecdotal [but] undergirded by thesolidly empirical results of extensive attitudinal and opinion surveyresearch." (Dwight B. Billings, Sociological Inquiry)