This is truly one of the most comprehensive histories of Alabama I have encountered. From the first settlement by Native Americans to the confusing, and most times laughable, political present of the "state" of Alabama. Dr. Wayne Flynt, Professor Emeritus at the University of Auburn, writes the final section of this book which covers the socio-economical status and political machinations of Alabama from the early 1900's through the present. He has a clear insight of where Alabama has been historically and where she must go to contribute significantly to her people and her nation. A must read for anyone who votes in Alabama and a must read for those who envision a new and brighter history for Alabama.

Before Heinlein's Stranger in a Strange Land, Carl Carmer took a train from New York to Alabama to become a college professor, writing of a strange country he visited and returned from, as different as another planet for his known world. He roamed and wrote of the cornwhisky- swilling backwatersof Alabama and the rough-hewn urban centers like Birmingham during the 20s and early 30s -- the time of the Scottsboro boys, the Klux Klan in its first great revival, deep oral and cultural traditions among Alabama African Americans including the title, inspiration for the 30s pop song about a meteor shower more than a century before.. The Civil War veteran turned murderer of U.S. marshals and religious zealot -- lynched to avoid a trial and certain execution -- before Jim Jones and Waco.The great outlaws and train robbers, Rube Burrow and Railroad Bill, one white, the other black and so feared his body was displayed in several cities to prove he was dead. A period piece -- the N word is used-- it also paints a picture of a complex and diverse black community, its cultural and folk roots, its white relationships. Many Alabama natives, including this expatriate, would not know these tales but for Carmer who returned to New York to write about that state and area for decades more But his Alabama is Sleepy Hollow with a bite like "Two-toed Tom" the 15 foot gator trapped in a pond by stalkers only to find him surfacing in a nearby pond, devouring a 12 year old child, decades before scientists learned of the ancient underwater tunnels of the reptiles. Tom moved on to become a legend in Florida where he's still talked about just as Carmer's retelling of the great tales lives on in Alabama, too often without his name attached. Sometimes a bizarre mixture of charm and horror, and perhaps a bit of hyperbole, Stars Fell on Alabama is one of those Academic reprints that reminds us the past is never so simple as we might dream and that the man with manners is to be as feared as the trainrobber with a gun

I started reading this book for a paper I was writing in one of my history classes. I loved it so much that I constantly find myself referring to it in everyday conversations. It's not your typical history book. It is a collection of essays and interviews with people that lived during the thirties told from their own mouths in southern slang. Needless, to say it is hard to put it down once you start reading. Would be a great read for anyone interested in Alabama and/or the time period. I recommend to anyone and have even given out a few copies as gifts to people.

Having been reared in Clay County, Alabama, I have read the book more than once. Grundy has done an outstanding job of portraying varying perspectives of life in this rural county which remains filled with people who are genuinely concerned for one another's well-being. While times have changed, the book brings clearly into focus a treasured way of life which continues to exist today in this area. The book consists of interviews with people from a number of different walks of life who have, through their own experiences, a deep love and respect for life in Clay County, Alabama. This book is a heartwarming reminder of times past and present and of the important things in life.