Deep South: Four Seasons on Back Roads

by Paul Theroux

He explained the appeal, the grip, the danger of the Klan: “It seizes upon the monotony of a small town and gives it daily drama. It takes him who lived an uneventful life, one who is nobody in particular, and makes something of him. It gives him a purpose; makes him a soldier in a cause. The very existence of the Ku Klux Klan is proof of emotional infanthood. It would not be possible in a community where the people lived full, interesting, varied lives.”

I had a little dog His name was Dash. I’d rather be a nigger Than po’h white trash. I’d rather be a nigger an’ plow ol’ Beck, Dan a white hill-billy Wid a long red neck.