My Virginia

Bravo! Bravo! Finally a book that has some truth in it. For the past three decades, our Virginia school kids have been taught that the "Civil War" was fought solely over slavery- that their evil ancestors in grey were fighting to keep Negroes as slaves , where the egalitarian North fought to end it. Fiction, of course, but that's what our kids have been brainwashed for so long. If we learned anything in Sunday school, we know that Satan is the father of all lies. So its no wonder that when the Yankees won the war, they re-wrote our history as well. "Our Virginia Past and Present"- presents the truth about blacks and the Confederacy. Joy Masoff presents a beautifully written book about our wonderful Virginia history- people of all races should be proud. Virginia's soil was invaded, and her sons and daughters came to defend her. Would a lot of people still believe the lie that the "Civil War" was all about slavery? Well, some might. But to enl...

Anove: Me at the Jeff Davis statue in Hollywood Cemetery, 1984. I was not born in Richmond, but I remember my early visits as a very young child going to see my grandmother in her apartment on Park Ave in The Fan. When we'd visit, she'd make us all some Ring Tum Diddy and we'd have Custard ice cream for dessert made by "Richfood". I remember the sights and smells of Richmond. Mostly magnolias and crepe myrtle drenched in heat and humidity, and large statues of heroes from the past with large white columned mansions on an elegant thoroughfare. The vibe of Richmond was that you were so immersed in the Confederacy. No other city was like it. It was so distinctive, so very Richmond. You can't really put your finger on what makes Richmond so Richmond. You can go to Charleston, Savannah, or newer cities such as Nashville , Charlotte, and Atlanta. None of them has such a a distinctiveness as Richmond does. I don't think any other Southern city has such a mystique...