In lieu of an abstract, here is a brief excerpt of the content:

Acknowledgments To quote Hillary Clinton, this one definitely took a village. First of all, thank you to Bryant Simon, my graduate advisor, for fielding countless dumb questions , giving sage advice, reading a million drafts, writing many tedious letters, and being a Tar Heel. Thanks as well to the other members of my dissertation committee (Kathleen Clark, Jim Cobb, Bonnie Dow, and Laura Mason), and to the editors and readers at LSU Press (Rand Dotson, David Goldfield, and Glenda Gilmore). Without all of your able guidance, this would still be an ill-formed lump of clay. All mistakes and bad ideas herein are clearly my own. Thanks to the University of Georgia History Department and the UGA Graduate School for early funding, to the Newcomb College Center for Research on Women for nurturing me through those first pre-Katrina chapters, and to the Institute for Southern Studies at the University of South Carolina for the financial assistance that got me through the final interviews in Union. To the people of Union County: you all really made me feel welcome, even though every single one of you knew I was coming to town to ask about something truly awful from your past. Except for the one ill-advised trip on which my sister and I tried to creep around Fair Forest Plantation and got chased out of the driveway by a fleet of cranky Dobermans, Union truly did feel like the “City of Hospitality.” From finger foods to full-on meals, from discussions of African American cowboys to Gone With the Wind, I am so grateful for your willingness to embrace a complete stranger. Thank you to all interviewees, in alphabetical order: Amy Birnbaum, A.L. Brackett, Rick Bragg, Anna Brown, David Bruck, Bob Cato, Allan Charles, Jules Corriere, Ann Currie, Tom Currie , Twila Decker-Davis, Bob Dotson, Gary Henderson, Phil Hobbs, McElroy Hughes, Bill Howard, Torance Inman, Kevin Kingsmore, Randall Pinkston, Tommy Pope, Alan Raines, Michael Roberts, Thom White, and Toni White. I also wish to thank Susan Smith, who consistently supported this project from afar even though she did not know me and had no idea what I might say. And I wish I knew this guy’s name: Thank you to the police officer who pulled me over in Newberry County, just a few miles from the Union County line, for giving me my go-to line about this project instead of a speeding ticket. When I told him that I was racing to Union to do an interview about the Smith case, he leaned against my car, whistled, and said, “Whew, that was some shit, won’t it?” I pull out this line whenever I get a weird look about my chosen subject. viii Acknowledgments Now for the personal stuff: I extend a very sincere appreciation to all the women who hold me up (you know who you are). Lolly, thanks for reading every godforsaken draft of this thing from pathetic little dissertation proposal to full manuscript. Juicy, when you schooled the uptight librarian at our elementary school by telling her that she had to let me read whatever I wanted, whenever I wanted (even though I was only in third grade), you set me on the path to dorkhood. Thank you for making me a reader. And finally, to Dad, who grew up working in the mills of Rock Hill, just one county away from Union. Even though he was Rush Limbaugh’s biggest fan, he put me through “bleedin’ heart liberal” Carolina and faithfully supported all of my graduate school endeavors, wondering all the while what in the world could be taking me so long. He always joked that he hoped he would live long enough to read this book. Sadly, so very sadly, he did not. This book could not have happened without his unfailing love and encouragement. This one’s for you, Big Rodge. ...

Share