It Happened in the Delta
Often referred to as the “Most Southern Place on Earth,” (Wikipedia), the Mississippi Delta is an area of land that lies between the Yazoo and Mississippi rivers. Regional experts have said that it starts in the lobby of the Peabody Hotel in Memphis and ends at Catfish Row in Vicksburg. The Delta is strongly associated with several genres of music including Delta Blues and Rock-n-Roll. In addition, due to its unique racial, cultural and economic history, the area has been a favorite setting for numerous authors. For books that “happened in the Delta,” try the following:
A long time gone by Karen White
When Vivien Walker left her home in the Mississippi Delta, she swore never to go back, as generations of the women in her family had. But in the spring, nine years to the day since she'd left, that's exactly what happens--Vivien returns, fleeing from a broken marriage and her lost dreams for children. What she hopes to find is solace with "Bootsie," her dear grandmother who raised her, a Walker woman with a knack for making everything all right.
Beluga by Rick Gavin
A few months ago Nick Reid and his compadre Desmond liberated some money from a nasty meth dealer, and now they need to launder it. After lending out a couple of thousand here and there, with hope of getting a small return, all kinds of "investment opportunities" are coming out of the woodwork.
Delta wedding : a novel by Eudora Welty
A vivid and charming portrait of a large southern family, the Fairchilds, who live on a plantation in the Mississippi delta. The story, set in 1923, is exquisitely woven from the ordinary events of family life, centered around the visit of a young relative, Laura McRaven, and the family’s preparations for her cousin Dabney’s wedding.
Dirty South by Ace Atkins
Tulane professor and problem solver Nick Travers is minding his own business when a friend from his college football days asks a favour. Teddy Paris is a record producer and his biggest rap star, a kid from the projects named Alias, needs help. Somebody has ripped off Alias's assets. Always ready to bail out a buddy, Nick dives in, but the closer he gets to unmasking the villain, the more danger he unleashes until his own life is on the line.
Taps: a novel by Willie Morris
In Fisk’s Landing, Mississippi, at the dawn of the Korean War, sixteen-year-old Swayze Barksdale is suddenly called to an unexpected duty - playing "Taps" at the gravesides of the town’s young casualties sent home from the front. Gradually, Swayze begins to pace his life around these all too frequent funerals, where his horn sounds the tragic note of the times. At turns funny, at turns poignant, TAPS abounds with colorful characters as Swayze learns what it means to be a patriot, a son, a lover, a friend, a man.
A time to kill by John Grisham
In this searing courtroom drama, best-selling author John Grisham probes the savage depths of racial violence...as he delivers a compelling tale of uncertain justice in a small southern town...Clanton, Mississippi.
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