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As Southern as It Gets: 1,071 Reasons to Never Leave the South
Life Is Sweet in the South Full of small towns and sparkling cities, this welcoming area invites all who visit to put your feet up, have a glass of ice tea in a mason jar and reminisce on some of the most wonderful things in the South. Written by true Southern gentleman H. Jackson Brown Jr., As Southern As It Gets is a charming book of lists—a celebration of all things Southern that will charm and delight anyone who was raised south of the Mason-Dixon or who wish they lived there. Recall the tastes, sounds, and beauty of Southern treasures such Juicy Georgia peaches in July Glorious changing leaves on the Natchez Trace A steaming cup of gumbo from New Orleans The smooth, soulful voice of Patsy Cline From Music Row in Nashville, to Daytona Beach in Florida, and Charleston to New Orleans, As Southern As It Gets will remind you of why we Southerns so love our home.
224 pages, Kindle Edition
Published July 11, 2017
4 people are currently reading
40 people want to read
About the author
H. Jackson Brown Jr.
77 books754 followersDate of Birth: 1940
H. Jackson Brown, Jr. was an American author best-known for his book Life's Little Instruction Book which was a New York Times bestseller. Before becoming famous as a writer, Brown acted as a creative director of an advertising agency in Nashville, Tennessee. It was simple words of wisdom gathered from other people and his own experiences that made him a best-selling author.
Brown first published A Father's Book of Wisdom, which was quickly followed by P.S. I Love You, a collection of sayings and observations from his father and mother. Both were very popular and led to Life's Little Instruction Book, which was originally written as a going-away present for his college-bound son, Adam. This book contained 511 reminders about "how to live a happy and rewarding life" and became a phenomenal best-seller worldwide. It has logged more than two years on the New York Times best-seller list, including more than a year at the number one spot. Life's Little Instruction Book was the first book to ever occupy the number one spot on the New York Times best-seller list in both paperback and hardback formats simultaneously. Live and Learn and Pass It On followed and also became a New York Times best-seller.
Brown's books have been translated into 35 languages and have sold millions of copies worldwide. They have spawned calendars, posters, apparel items, daily journals, greeting cards, audiocassettes, screensavers and even fortune cookies. Brown is also said to receive thousands of letters from readers all over the world. Their content ranges from the simple, "I enjoyed your book and I read a page or two every night before I go to bed" to the humbling "your book convinced our family to adopt a special needs child."
Remarking on his books, Jackson has said, "Most of us know what we need to do to make our lives more fulfilled and useful, but sometimes we forget. My little books are gentle reminders of those simple things which, if done well and in a spirit of love, can significantly change our lives."
H. Jackson Brown, Jr. was an American author best-known for his book Life's Little Instruction Book which was a New York Times bestseller. Before becoming famous as a writer, Brown acted as a creative director of an advertising agency in Nashville, Tennessee. It was simple words of wisdom gathered from other people and his own experiences that made him a best-selling author.
Brown first published A Father's Book of Wisdom, which was quickly followed by P.S. I Love You, a collection of sayings and observations from his father and mother. Both were very popular and led to Life's Little Instruction Book, which was originally written as a going-away present for his college-bound son, Adam. This book contained 511 reminders about "how to live a happy and rewarding life" and became a phenomenal best-seller worldwide. It has logged more than two years on the New York Times best-seller list, including more than a year at the number one spot. Life's Little Instruction Book was the first book to ever occupy the number one spot on the New York Times best-seller list in both paperback and hardback formats simultaneously. Live and Learn and Pass It On followed and also became a New York Times best-seller.
Brown's books have been translated into 35 languages and have sold millions of copies worldwide. They have spawned calendars, posters, apparel items, daily journals, greeting cards, audiocassettes, screensavers and even fortune cookies. Brown is also said to receive thousands of letters from readers all over the world. Their content ranges from the simple, "I enjoyed your book and I read a page or two every night before I go to bed" to the humbling "your book convinced our family to adopt a special needs child."
Remarking on his books, Jackson has said, "Most of us know what we need to do to make our lives more fulfilled and useful, but sometimes we forget. My little books are gentle reminders of those simple things which, if done well and in a spirit of love, can significantly change our lives."
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
June 29, 2017
what a dee light ful book and oh so funny and especially so if you live in the south or have a southern background meaning most of your people are from the south . I laughed so hard reading this book and it was so true . I thoroughly enjoyed this book from front cover to back and I will pass this along to a good friend .
July 4, 2017
I received a complimentary copy.
Honestly this book is a list of words and have no rhyme or reason other then alphabetically ordered and relate to the south. I thought it was going to be filled with stories, or at least some explanation of things, but it is like reading plain words in a list with a few quotes thrown in. Honestly you can still enjoy most of the people and items while you are living in the North so it is kind of besides the point and more of a pride thing then a nostalgic moment.
Honestly this book is a list of words and have no rhyme or reason other then alphabetically ordered and relate to the south. I thought it was going to be filled with stories, or at least some explanation of things, but it is like reading plain words in a list with a few quotes thrown in. Honestly you can still enjoy most of the people and items while you are living in the North so it is kind of besides the point and more of a pride thing then a nostalgic moment.
February 18, 2019
This gives you a list of southern things and phrases.
July 16, 2017
[Note: This book was provided free of charge by BookLook/Thomas Nelson Publishing. All thoughts and opinions are my own.]
Although I grew up in rural West Central Florida around people who considered themselves and would have been considered by others as Southerners, my relationship with the South has always been one that is deeply ambivalent [1]. This book somehow manages to be inclusive and exclusive at the same time, seeking to appeal to blacks and whites and to people who are from both the traditional deep south and also some of its border areas (like Kentucky, Missouri, and Oklahoma, who all get a few shout outs for southern institutions like Carrie Underwood, although Texas is completely ignored), while also cattily reminding readers that just because one is from the south that one is not necessarily Southern, just like a cat having kittens in an oven does not make those kittens biscuits. The book is evidence of a desire to inflame Southern pride, and those sorts of displays are generally of the sort that makes me feel deeply uncomfortable as someone whose experiences in the South were less than pleasant.
This book has an immensely straightforward structure and despite being a bit over 200 pages may be read by someone in twenty or thirty minutes without too much trouble if they are not carried into a reverie by the reasons that the author gives for never leaving the South. After a short introduction where the author gives his bona fides as to why he should be considered as a suitably Southern person to write this book, the author gives alphabetical reasons why someone should never leave the South. Some of the reasons are given their own page with hand-drawn drawings, and the reasons themselves tend to fall into a few categories: food, places, people, phrases, and Southern behavior. There is no doubt that the author considers himself an expert on what to appreciate on the South, and his tastes are pretty reasonable--he loves Daytona Beach, Elvis, the Civil War, the rituals of small town and youth Southern life, country music, NASCAR racing, and so on. He's the sort of Southerner whose bumptious attitude towards the South may be more than a little irritating but who is basically viewed as more of a friendly character than someone who is an active annoyance, and this book shares the same prickly nationalism of the South without crossing the line into real offense.
Obviously, as someone who has left the South and whose thoughts of it are deeply mixed, and whose thoughts about Confederate nationalism are deeply negative, I am not the ideal target audience for this book. Even so, the reasons that the author gives for loving the South are generally innocuous and could apply equally well for proud white as well as many black Southerners, although one gets at least some feeling that this book is aimed at Southern whites. Why does this book exist? Do Southerners still find it necessary to prove to others why their region is so great? I'm not sure, but that gnawing lack of self-confidence when one is dealing with the complaints and insults directed towards the South appears to have motivated this book. This is not a book that seeks to start or participate in debates about education, politics, or history, but in defending what it views as laudatory elements of Southern culture and geography, this is a book that will likely make plenty of Southerners feel better about themselves, and at a price of under $20 is a lot cheaper than going to a therapist.
[1] See, for example:
https://edgeinducedcohesion.blog/2015...
https://edgeinducedcohesion.blog/2010...
https://edgeinducedcohesion.blog/2015...
https://edgeinducedcohesion.blog/2017...
https://edgeinducedcohesion.blog/2017...
https://edgeinducedcohesion.blog/2017...
https://edgeinducedcohesion.blog/2015...
July 6, 2017
About the Book:
Life Is Sweet in the South
Full of small towns and sparkling cities, this welcoming area invites all who visit to put your feet up, have a glass of ice tea in a mason jar and reminisce on some of the most wonderful things in the South. Written by true Southern gentleman H. Jackson Brown Jr., As Southern As It Gets is a charming book of lists--a celebration of all things Southern that will charm and delight anyone who was raised south of the Mason-Dixon or who wish they lived there.
Recall the tastes, sounds, and beauty of Southern treasures such as:
Juicy Georgia peaches in July
Glorious changing leaves on the Natchez Trace
A steaming cup of gumbo from New Orleans
The smooth, soulful voice of Patsy Cline
From Music Row in Nashville, to Daytona Beach in Florida, and Charleston to New Orleans, As Southern As It Gets will remind you of why we Southerns so love our home.
My Review:
As Southern As It Gets, is a sweet little do nothing book, as I like to call them. This book is a fun little book to have on a coffee table or even in the bathroom to read upon waiting, if you will. Southerners are a unique crowd, they to me seem to have it all figured out and they did it on their own. They are a people that make due with what they have been given or the cards that they have been dealt. They are masters at creativity. They can do a million and one things with a biscuit. They are amazing people and we can be taught a lot from them and the things they do in their daily lives.
As Southern As It Gets, is a book full of little things related to the south whether its chicken and dumplings, sweet tea or college football--this book has it all. It was a lot of fun to read and look through. And many times it made me laugh. A good coffee table book for guests this book will really get you thinking.
**Disclosure**This book was sent to me free of charge for my honest review from the author. All opinions are my own.
Life Is Sweet in the South
Full of small towns and sparkling cities, this welcoming area invites all who visit to put your feet up, have a glass of ice tea in a mason jar and reminisce on some of the most wonderful things in the South. Written by true Southern gentleman H. Jackson Brown Jr., As Southern As It Gets is a charming book of lists--a celebration of all things Southern that will charm and delight anyone who was raised south of the Mason-Dixon or who wish they lived there.
Recall the tastes, sounds, and beauty of Southern treasures such as:
Juicy Georgia peaches in July
Glorious changing leaves on the Natchez Trace
A steaming cup of gumbo from New Orleans
The smooth, soulful voice of Patsy Cline
From Music Row in Nashville, to Daytona Beach in Florida, and Charleston to New Orleans, As Southern As It Gets will remind you of why we Southerns so love our home.
My Review:
As Southern As It Gets, is a sweet little do nothing book, as I like to call them. This book is a fun little book to have on a coffee table or even in the bathroom to read upon waiting, if you will. Southerners are a unique crowd, they to me seem to have it all figured out and they did it on their own. They are a people that make due with what they have been given or the cards that they have been dealt. They are masters at creativity. They can do a million and one things with a biscuit. They are amazing people and we can be taught a lot from them and the things they do in their daily lives.
As Southern As It Gets, is a book full of little things related to the south whether its chicken and dumplings, sweet tea or college football--this book has it all. It was a lot of fun to read and look through. And many times it made me laugh. A good coffee table book for guests this book will really get you thinking.
**Disclosure**This book was sent to me free of charge for my honest review from the author. All opinions are my own.
July 1, 2017
Book review: As Southern As It Gets: 1,071 Reasons to Never Leave the South by H. Jackson Brown
Having lived in the South for almost half my life and the majority of my time in the USA, this European transplant can certainly appreciate someone listing a few more reasons why I would not consider moving away from the South every again. Having lived in several states outside of the South and having traveled to the majority of the lower 48, there is a certain charm about the South that does not end with good food and the people that prepare it. There is something to be sad about having home-cooked meals at restaurants, listening to music that everyone seems to know and adhering to a lifestyle that takes things just a little bit slower than people in other places.
H Jackson Brown manages to outdo me in reasons why the South is his favorite place to stay, but many items would make my list as well. Including the multitude of food listings, including pimento. An acquired taste for many outside of the South, good pimento cheese is here cherished at every get-together and, while giblet gravy is not my favorite to make, a good gravy will elevate any cook when served over nice biscuits and with some sweet tea. Add a coonhound at your feet, Patsy Cline on the radio and there is nothing better to life.
So if you want to learn why Southerners like there lifestyle, this book will give you more than a 1000 reasons and if you happen to live in the South already, especially as a transplant, this book will give you a more things to explore.
Disclaimer: I received a free book in exchange for an honest review. The opinion expressed in this post is solely my own and has not been influenced by any third party.
Having lived in the South for almost half my life and the majority of my time in the USA, this European transplant can certainly appreciate someone listing a few more reasons why I would not consider moving away from the South every again. Having lived in several states outside of the South and having traveled to the majority of the lower 48, there is a certain charm about the South that does not end with good food and the people that prepare it. There is something to be sad about having home-cooked meals at restaurants, listening to music that everyone seems to know and adhering to a lifestyle that takes things just a little bit slower than people in other places.
H Jackson Brown manages to outdo me in reasons why the South is his favorite place to stay, but many items would make my list as well. Including the multitude of food listings, including pimento. An acquired taste for many outside of the South, good pimento cheese is here cherished at every get-together and, while giblet gravy is not my favorite to make, a good gravy will elevate any cook when served over nice biscuits and with some sweet tea. Add a coonhound at your feet, Patsy Cline on the radio and there is nothing better to life.
So if you want to learn why Southerners like there lifestyle, this book will give you more than a 1000 reasons and if you happen to live in the South already, especially as a transplant, this book will give you a more things to explore.
Disclaimer: I received a free book in exchange for an honest review. The opinion expressed in this post is solely my own and has not been influenced by any third party.
July 5, 2017
As Southern as it Gets (H. Jackson Brown)
Full of small towns and sparkling cities, this welcoming area invites all who visit to put your feet up, have a glass of ice tea in a mason jar and reminisce on some of the most wonderful things in the South. Written by true Southern gentleman H. Jackson Brown Jr., As Southern As It Gets is a charming book of lists—a celebration of all things Southern that will charm and delight anyone who was raised south of the Mason-Dixon or who wish they lived there. Recall the tastes, sounds, and beauty of Southern treasures such as: Juicy Georgia peaches in July, Glorious changing leaves on the Natchez Trace, A steaming cup of gumbo from New Orleans, The smooth, soulful voice of Patsy Cline. From Music Row in Nashville, to Daytona Beach in Florida, and Charleston to New Orleans, As Southern As It Gets will remind you of why we Southerns so love our home.
This is a cute book for Southerners, or people who just want to pretend they know the South. It offers up several good things that make the South unique - foods, cultures, people, etc. - and would make a great coffee table book, as it is a good conversation starter. One caveat - it's not really a reading book, it's more of a really, really long list - which is something that I didn't like about it. I was expecting a book, with paragraphs and such, and instead got several pages of a list. It's fun to browse through, though. Having grown up and always lived in the South, I found many of them to be true, and a few of them to just be stereotypes that others have about Southerners. Still - a good conversation piece!
Full of small towns and sparkling cities, this welcoming area invites all who visit to put your feet up, have a glass of ice tea in a mason jar and reminisce on some of the most wonderful things in the South. Written by true Southern gentleman H. Jackson Brown Jr., As Southern As It Gets is a charming book of lists—a celebration of all things Southern that will charm and delight anyone who was raised south of the Mason-Dixon or who wish they lived there. Recall the tastes, sounds, and beauty of Southern treasures such as: Juicy Georgia peaches in July, Glorious changing leaves on the Natchez Trace, A steaming cup of gumbo from New Orleans, The smooth, soulful voice of Patsy Cline. From Music Row in Nashville, to Daytona Beach in Florida, and Charleston to New Orleans, As Southern As It Gets will remind you of why we Southerns so love our home.
This is a cute book for Southerners, or people who just want to pretend they know the South. It offers up several good things that make the South unique - foods, cultures, people, etc. - and would make a great coffee table book, as it is a good conversation starter. One caveat - it's not really a reading book, it's more of a really, really long list - which is something that I didn't like about it. I was expecting a book, with paragraphs and such, and instead got several pages of a list. It's fun to browse through, though. Having grown up and always lived in the South, I found many of them to be true, and a few of them to just be stereotypes that others have about Southerners. Still - a good conversation piece!
June 29, 2017
If you're in for some southern charm, this book is for YOU! This book is sweet and full of the south! It's a heart warming book full of everything about the south. If you are moving to the South, I highly recommend this book. It gives you so many different food, sayings and places in the south that I've never heard of. I love this list and the quotes that are in this book. It is the cutest book and I can't wait to look up some of these foods, places to visit and find recipes. Thank you to publisher for providing me a complimentary copy. I give this book 5/5 stars.
October 31, 2017
I'm southern born and raised, but was clueless about quite a few things in this book. There were several that really hit home and some that my mom really enjoyed and remembered from her childhood. This book was fun to enjoy with someone and share memories, search for the ones we didn't know, and wrinkle our nose up at food we've never tried.
May 18, 2023
It's a cute simple read, and yes being from the south (TN) I knew and understood all of the reasons, and for many of them I say yep that's why I never left the south either.....but Keith Urban? I mean yea Keith Urban is a country music singer and he does split his living time between Nashville and Australia but guys he's a New Zealander.
October 24, 2020
chose as a gift and wanted to read first. Entertaining
September 30, 2024
This book is basically a list of 1,071 reasons to remain in the south. There are also a few quotes. I was really hoping for some heartwarming stories or even some southern recipes.
December 31, 2017
`As Southern As It Gets` is an inspirational book by author H. Jackson Brown, JR. I love the blue and white checkered cover. It reminds me of southern hospitality. I was born and raised in the south. I have always lived in the south, never been north that I know of. As far as I can tell this 223-page hardback book is fact, not fiction.
The book begins with 20 of the author's favorite things. But, its basic structure is a list from A-Z of all things southern. In the introduction, Jackson claims he once challenged a tenured professor from one of the Ivy League schools to compile a list of "1071 Reasons to Never Leave the North". The professor couldn't do it.
The author considers himself a reliable source for this book because he was born and raised in the south, too. He is acquainted with country ham, smokehouses, mules, canning, church activities, deviled eggs, and one-stoplight towns. He claims the south is magical and mysterious.
This book took me back to my childhood with all you can eat fried catfish and hushpuppy nights, bait shops, B.B. King, candied yams, and so much more. The book also contains quotes and illustrations. I recommend this book to fans of the south.
Disclaimer: "I was provided a free copy of this book. All opinions are my own."
The book begins with 20 of the author's favorite things. But, its basic structure is a list from A-Z of all things southern. In the introduction, Jackson claims he once challenged a tenured professor from one of the Ivy League schools to compile a list of "1071 Reasons to Never Leave the North". The professor couldn't do it.
The author considers himself a reliable source for this book because he was born and raised in the south, too. He is acquainted with country ham, smokehouses, mules, canning, church activities, deviled eggs, and one-stoplight towns. He claims the south is magical and mysterious.
This book took me back to my childhood with all you can eat fried catfish and hushpuppy nights, bait shops, B.B. King, candied yams, and so much more. The book also contains quotes and illustrations. I recommend this book to fans of the south.
Disclaimer: "I was provided a free copy of this book. All opinions are my own."
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews