Does anyone know of a novel with an alternate history timeline in which the South was allowed to secede?

[Stephen]

Back in high school (early 70's) I wrote a paper suggesting that Lincoln should have just allowed the south to secede. 600,000 fewer deaths and a relationship similar to what the U.S. has with Canada were just two of my arguments. (And before anyone criticizes, I pointed out that slavery was on its way out anyway and that race relations are not great today as is)

I mentioned this paper recently and someone said that they'd read a book as much as 10 years ago with that premise but they couldn't recall the name. We discussed it a bit and they were pretty sure that it was novel which had its own story-line but just sort of "assumed" the separate South thing.

I'm pretty sure we're NOT talking about Better Off Without 'Em: A Northern Manifesto for Southern Secession as that is more recent and NOT a novel per se.

Has anyone else encountered such a book? I'm actually kinda curious how closely the author's vision comes to what mine was.

[Kelly]

I know of a mockumentary film called CSA: Confederate States of America that I have been meaning to watch. The list at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American... has many novels/stories that you may want to check out.

[Bargle]

The Guns of the South by Harry Turtledove is an alternate timeline brought on by time travel type book, but the Civil War still happens. It was very popular when released and may be what your friend is thinking of.

[Andy]

Check out the Uchronia site, which lists alternate histories by date of divergence http://www.uchronia.net/bib.cgi/diver...

[Kitty]

How Few Remain has the south as a separate nation.

[Stephen]

Thanks all. Who knew there were so many? I'm sure we can call this one solved.

[Lobstergirl, au gratin]

In Bring the Jubilee by Ward Moore, the South won the Civil War. It's a time travel. The protagonist lives in the North, which is impoverished. He's born in the 1920s. In the 1950s, he meets a physicist who designs a time machine and he decides to go back to the Battle of Gettysburg. I won't spoil it past that point.

[Lobstergirl, au gratin]

Stephen wrote: "Thanks all. Who knew there were so many? I'm sure we can call this one solved."

Would you rather move it to Requests for Books in General, or were you looking for one particular book? If the latter, what did you decide the book is?

[Stephen]

I'm not sure which one he was talking about but, there being so many I have a list now to look up. I've moved this to solved.

[Lobstergirl, au gratin]

Normally a solved thread will have a particular book to shelve. There is an option to put this in Possibly Solved, although frankly until your friend figures out which book it was, this really should stay in Unsolved.

[``Laurie]

If the South Had Won the Civil War by MacKinlay Kantor is another suggestion. I have this book but haven't read it being the only reason I remembered this one.