Tales from Georgia's Gnat Line

Book excerpt: Tales From Georgia's Gnat Line is about the South-the Deep South; Larry Walker's part of the world. It's about good people, and some not so good. It's about a part of the United States that was, and is, somewhat different from the rest. And it's about cotton, because in many ways cotton caused Southerners to do some of the things that otherwise good people would not have done. It's never been easy to be a Southerner, black or white. But it's worth holding on to, and we must. Walker promises to do his part. He uses "y'all" and does it often. It's not just the way he speaks, but the way he thinks, y'all means everyone. Yes, the road is long and narrow. It's wider down in the South than it used to be, and it is getting wider all the time, but there have been recent problems which will need to be addressed. We can't afford to fight the Civil War again--either here in the South or elsewhere in this country. This book is about the South of the past, the present, and, if read carefully, of the future.