(Reviewed by JD Jung)
I admit that I have never been to Natchez, Mississippi, but it seems to be a town full of contradictions. British travel writer Richard Grant accentuates this superbly as he relays his accounts and interviews with both black and white residents, in between revealing the true history of this city in The Deepest South of All: True Stories from Natchez, Mississippi.
Citizens claim that their town has more in common with New Orleans than the rest of Mississippi, as eccentricity is celebrated. While conservative, it is welcoming of gays—even with gay neo-confederates among its residents.
White residents carry a romantic mythology of Natchez. While acknowledging the evils of slavery, they don’t like to admit to others the extent of its cruelty. They don’t even acknowledge that their city was built on slavery.
This is where Grant exposes the factual history of Natchez through impeccable research. He weaves in the myths of current day Natchez with the riveting true story of Ibrahima, the Fulani prince who was captured by the Hebohs and sold into slavery. I found his structuring of these chapters to be highly effective.
Grant shows us the various areas of the town, from the antebellum aristocracy to the lower town in the nineteenth century with its corruption, decadence, and violence. He also introduces us to some prominent twentieth century residents like a famous madam, the late Nellie Jackson.
I was particularly baffled upon learning that many women who were born and raised in Natchez, left for urban cities like New York and San Francisco, only to come back home years later to be a part of the cultural society that promotes the mythology of the charming Old South. Among these are the women of the rival garden clubs that give tours and performances to raise funds to preserve the historical mansions. During these events they sanitize slavery and the past, while wondering why African American women won’t join their clubs.
I doubt that I will ever visit Natchez, but Richard Grant’s methodology made this book a fascinating cultural and historical read.
