Ninety Degrees in the Shade

Nonfiction, History, Americas, United States, State & Local
Cover of the book Ninety Degrees in the Shade by Clarence Cason, University of Alabama Press
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Clarence Cason ISBN: 9780817389499
Publisher: University of Alabama Press Publication: March 12, 2001
Imprint: University Alabama Press Language: English
Author: Clarence Cason
ISBN: 9780817389499
Publisher: University of Alabama Press
Publication: March 12, 2001
Imprint: University Alabama Press
Language: English

Clarence Cason belonged to that restless generation of southern intellectuals who, between the world wars, questioned the South's stubborn traditionalism, even as they tried to explain and defend its distinctiveness. From his professorial perch at The University of Alabama, Cason wrote polished essays for leading national publications while contributing weekly editorials for newspaper readers. As a journalist in academia, he cultivated a broad audience for his eloquent though tentative observations about the "character" of a region that seemed to be a separate province of the nation.

In 1935, Cason collected his thoughts in a small book of essays titled 90° in the Shade. In it, he declared that climate and the relaxation afforded by field and stream had given southerners excellent reasons for their notoriously slow pace of life. Still, he wrote, "there is much work that ought to be done below the Potomac." Cason captured the pathos of race relations and other persistent problems and declared that the abominable practice of lynching would end when the best people of the South risked their personal and commercial standing to denounce it. Just days before the book's publication, however, Cason shot himself in his campus office. He left no explanation, but apparently he feared angry reaction from fellow citizens to his mild criticisms and gentle suggestions for change.

The University of Alabama Press brought the book back into print in 1983. This new edition of Cason's classic features an introduction by journalist and UA professor H. Bailey Thomson, allowing yet another generation the enjoyment of Cason's perceptive writing, not so much for any remedy he proposed but rather for the open-minded and loving way in which he addressed the region's tragic experience.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

Clarence Cason belonged to that restless generation of southern intellectuals who, between the world wars, questioned the South's stubborn traditionalism, even as they tried to explain and defend its distinctiveness. From his professorial perch at The University of Alabama, Cason wrote polished essays for leading national publications while contributing weekly editorials for newspaper readers. As a journalist in academia, he cultivated a broad audience for his eloquent though tentative observations about the "character" of a region that seemed to be a separate province of the nation.

In 1935, Cason collected his thoughts in a small book of essays titled 90° in the Shade. In it, he declared that climate and the relaxation afforded by field and stream had given southerners excellent reasons for their notoriously slow pace of life. Still, he wrote, "there is much work that ought to be done below the Potomac." Cason captured the pathos of race relations and other persistent problems and declared that the abominable practice of lynching would end when the best people of the South risked their personal and commercial standing to denounce it. Just days before the book's publication, however, Cason shot himself in his campus office. He left no explanation, but apparently he feared angry reaction from fellow citizens to his mild criticisms and gentle suggestions for change.

The University of Alabama Press brought the book back into print in 1983. This new edition of Cason's classic features an introduction by journalist and UA professor H. Bailey Thomson, allowing yet another generation the enjoyment of Cason's perceptive writing, not so much for any remedy he proposed but rather for the open-minded and loving way in which he addressed the region's tragic experience.

More books from University of Alabama Press

Cover of the book SunWatch by Clarence Cason
Cover of the book Southeastern Ceremonial Complex by Clarence Cason
Cover of the book A New Day in the Delta by Clarence Cason
Cover of the book History and Hope in the Heart of Dixie by Clarence Cason
Cover of the book What Are Stem Cells? by Clarence Cason
Cover of the book Surveillance, Transparency, and Democracy by Clarence Cason
Cover of the book TOKYO by Clarence Cason
Cover of the book Barnstorming to Heaven by Clarence Cason
Cover of the book The Kishinev Ghetto, 1941–1942 by Clarence Cason
Cover of the book Justice and Public Administration by Clarence Cason
Cover of the book Faces of Resistance by Clarence Cason
Cover of the book Twenty-Five Years in the Black Belt by Clarence Cason
Cover of the book Canons by Consensus by Clarence Cason
Cover of the book Continuing Bonds with the Dead by Clarence Cason
Cover of the book The Blue Guide to Indiana by Clarence Cason
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy