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Book Cover for: The Provincials: A Personal History of Jews in the South, Eli N. Evans

The Provincials: A Personal History of Jews in the South

Eli N. Evans

In this classic portrait of Jews in the South, Eli N. Evans takes readers inside the nexus of southern and Jewish histories, from the earliest immigrants to the present day. Evoking the rhythms and heartbeat of Jewish life in the Bible belt, Evans weaves together chapters of recollections from his youth and early years in North Carolina with chapters that explore the experiences of Jews in many cities and small towns across the South. He presents the stories of communities, individuals, and events in this quintessential American landscape that reveal the deeply intertwined strands of what he calls a unique "Southern Jewish consciousness."

First published in 1973 and updated in 1997, The Provincials was the first book to take readers on a journey into the soul of the Jewish South, using autobiography, storytelling, and interpretive history to create a complete portrait of Jewish contributions to the history of the region. No other book on this subject combines elements of memoir and history in such a compelling way. This new edition includes a gallery of more than two dozen family and historical photographs as well as a new introduction by the author.

Book Details

  • Publisher: University of North Carolina Press
  • Publish Date: Feb 28th, 2005
  • Pages: 440
  • Language: English
  • Edition: Revised and Col - undefined
  • Dimensions: 8.40in - 5.40in - 1.10in - 1.20lb
  • EAN: 9780807856239
  • Categories: Jewish StudiesUnited States - State & Local - South (AL,AR,FL,GA,KY,LA,MS,Jewish - General

About the Author

Evans, Eli N.: - Eli N. Evans was born and raised in Durham, North Carolina, and is a graduate of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and Yale Law School. He is author of Judah P. Benjamin: The Jewish Confederate and The Lonely Days Were Sundays: Reflections of a Jewish Southerner. He is president emeritus of the Charles H. Revson Foundation and lives in New York City.

Praise for this book

"The Provincials remains the seminal indispensable book about the Jewish experience in the South. . . . One of a kind, a masterpiece. (Pat Conroy)
"The Provincials" remains the seminal indispensable book about the Jewish experience in the South. . . . One of a kind, a masterpiece. (Pat Conroy)
Such a fine and valuable book--thoughtful, informative, revealing--a reminiscence and a history that works on both counts. (Jonathan Yardley, Pulitzer Prize-winning columnist)