Knoxville: This Obscure Prismatic City

by Jack Neely

Discover the vibrant history of Knoxville, Tennessee, in this series of articles from Jack Neely's acclaimed ""Secret History"" column in Knoxville's Metro Pulse. Neely delves into the shadows of centuries past and weaves a path of local history with unmistakable wit and precision. Learn about the people who made Knoxville the ""obscure prismatic city"" through their genius, bravery or even impiety--natives like Adolph Ochs, whose fear of the old Presbyterian cemetery kick-started his ascent to the editor's desk at the New York Times; Clarence Brown, the University of Tennessee graduate turned Hollywood icon; and Knoxville's own Mark Twain. Learn about race riots, labor riots and good old-fashioned drunken riots, and discover why Knoxville is Tennessee's forgotten music city.

Genres: Nonfiction

128 pages, Paperback

First published November 20, 2009

Reviews

[Jim · Rating 5 out of 5]

A must have for every Knoxvillian.

I have had the pleasure of reading Mr. Newly's books for 20 years now. Whenever the Metro pulse came out, I would rush to get it. I can't recommend his writing enough. This is a fun book that has lovely little vignettes on it about my home town Knoxville, TN. It never fails to entertain or inform.

[bumblethunderbeast · Rating 4 out of 5]

The timing for reading this was a bit uncanny. Just as the city was ripping up Central Street and removing the rails that had been left under the roadtop, I was reading about the riot on Depot Street as 2 businesses fought to install and have rail access on Depot Road.

[Christina · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was a fascinating compilation of little-known stories about my hometown, Knoxville. It was very enjoyable to read a book that mentioned names and places from home, and even more enjoyable to learn some of the stories behind those names! Some chapters barely interested me, while others had me on the edge of my seat (not necessarily because of the author's skill but more likely due to my own personality). For that reason, I give it three stars. I based this on Goodread's subtitle of "Liked it," a reasoning which I want to clarify rather than imply that the quality of the book is merely average.

[Paul Lunger · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jack Neely's "Knoxville: This Obscure Prismatic City" takes a 14 essay look at some of the events that make this city what it is as well as exploring the history of it as well. As someone who visited Knoxville for the first time this year, I actually found this book as a good introduction to Knoxville as a whole and gave this reader a better understanding of what I had seen. The stories told in this book are actually reprints of things published in the local paper but are in my mind just the right collection for anyone to begin to understand this city that is the "Gateway to the Smoky Mountains" and a lot more.

[sara washington · Rating 5 out of 5]

Couldn't put this book down!


Great read! The author explores obscure events in Knoxville's history. Very well researched. I feel like I can walk through modern downtown with a firm grip of understanding its past.

[Jeremy Capps · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved learning about Leola Manning’s recording session and Ida Cox’s comeback.

[James · Rating 4 out of 5]

A compilation of little or lesser known stories of Knoxville. I’ll admit I was unaware of several. It’s a decent enough collection, but as a book it would have been served well by a nice introduction and concluding chapter.

[Rusty · Rating 4 out of 5]

My favorite local historian has collected several of his essays about the history of my beloved hometown here. They are all interesting and all filled with enough trivia and tales of coincidence to make every page feel like an episode of the Twilight Zone. Like the local university prof that was obsessed with bringing the dead back to life (a la Mary Shelly) via electrical currents... and the high profile corpse that he brought back (maybe not) but the minister witnessing demanded the experiments stop.

Or the tale of the future U.S Secretary of the Treasury that once started a riot in town that ended with him (and much of the city) under arrest. I love these stories and of the quirks that shaped my town. I'd recommend it to anyone, whether they know anything about Knoxville or not. It's just that many of the local landmarks might not have as much of a meaning to anyone not familiar with local geography.

[Tom · Rating 5 out of 5]

The actual name of this book is "Knoxville: This Obscure Prismatic City" and it's the latest in a collection of historical and culture slices of life in and around Knoxville going back to the 1800s by Jack Neely. Neely's stories read more like compelling fictional short stories the way they flow and with powerfully written characters. The book can be read straight through or picked up and read at random, story by story.

You do not have to be a resident of Knoxville past or present to enjoy this series of books. Jack Neely is also an editor of the Knoxville alternative weekly MetroPulse and online version of his columns can be found at www.metropulse.com. I recommend any of the books that he has written.

[David Ward · Rating 3 out of 5]

Knoxville: This Obscure Prismatic City by Jack Neely (The History Press 2009) (976.885) is another in the series of local tales of Knoxville, Tennessee uncovered by Jack Neely, who is a great local historian/storyteller and the author of the column "Knoxville's Secret History" in the local weekly newspaper "The Metro Pulse." This book features the chapter "The Man In The Backseat" concerning Knoxville's role in the last night on earth and suspicious death in 1953 of country music superstar Hank Williams during his last road trip. That's a tale not to be missed. My rating: 7/10, finished 2/10/11.

[Garry · Rating 3 out of 5]

If you've not read about my town knoxville, this is a good place to start. If you've read this, then step up and read Suttree by Cormac Mccarthy.