Regulating Low-Skilled Immigration in the United States Book

As a Southerner whose attitude toward my part of the country vacillates between affection and horror, I've always been fascinated by Mississippi, that most Southern of the United States. Ownby's study of consumer culture in Mississippi is scholarly, but very readable. He uses 19th-century planters' journals, newspaper advertisements, early 20th-century interviews with former slaves, and even the novels of William Faulkner, Richard Wright, and Eudora Welty as source material.

One of the recurring themes of the book is the attitude, widely held among white Mississippians from slavery times until the time the book was written, that African-Americans were irresponsible with money, spending all that they had on luxuries and temporary pleasures. Ownby debunks that myth pretty handily. Other themes Ownby develops include the rise of women as the primary shoppers in households, the impact of shopping boycotts during the civil rights struggles, and the rise of Wal-Mart. This book won't interest everyone, but those will an interest in Mississippi culture will find it fascinating.