Our Deep South book banter

Paul Theroux writes travel books, and I’ve read many of them. I find his communications with the locals to be revealing and informative—they capture the soul of his destinations. So, when Deep South was published in 2015, I was an eager buyer. Read our Deep South book banter and review, and see if Theroux’s Deep South is a place you would love to visit!

Normally, travel books don’t excite me. In fact, I also find many television travel shows to be boring. Most focus on clichéd tourist traps and less on the people who actually live there.

An exception might be the Anthony Bourdain documentaries about cooking and traveling. Even though Bourdain’s programs were more about cooking, his insights on local customs and ways of life were fascinating to me. I have especially enjoyed Bourdain’s books.

Fortunately, Theroux’s book, Deep South, reminded me a lot of Bourdain’s illuminating interpretations about humanity. Of course, Theroux hasn’t produced any television shows about travel, but he has written a lot more books than Bourdain.

Theroux’s Deep South is well-written. In fact, it is so well-written that I think every aspiring writer should read at least one Paul Theroux book.

In the book, the author brilliantly used the English language to document his travel experiences and personal interactions. The writer’s artistically wove together words to make even mundane experiences come to life.

Based on what I’ve read in Theroux’s Deep South, his interpretations of the culture and the people are fair and balanced. Of course, I have read reviews that criticized the author’s partisanship. However, I don’t think those criticisms are fair.

While in the deep South, he attended a few gun shows. There, he found the vendors and browsers to be surprisingly courteous and well-mannered. In fact, I really enjoyed his observations and conversations with the attendees.

Theroux’s Deep South is an honest appraisal of the people he met.

In Theroux’s book, the author had encounters that I will never experience in my own life, even if I were to travel through the southeastern United States again. He had the courage to speak with people I would never approach in real life.

Not because of my prejudices (I enjoy and welcome diversity), but because I’m generally a socially-inept person. So by reading the author’s books, I can vicariously experience encounters that I would usually avoid.

For instance, Theroux attended many church services. While there, he interacted with many parishioners. He got to know how they lived, where they worked, and how they contributed to their communities.

Those interactions gave me a rich understanding of their way of life. Once again, Theroux’s openness to speak with people I would never interact with has opened my eyes to their goodness and their fulfilling way of life.

Even though I do hold personal religious convictions, organized religion has been a negative experience for me. So, I avoid organized religions of all faiths and denominations.

Unsurprisingly, when Theroux attended the mostly poor Black churches in the impoverished communities of the South, he was welcomed as a brother.

In fact, the author noted that wherever he traveled in the deep South, he was welcomed. As an outsider, he was invited into their homes and was offered food and friendship without conditions.

I am a reluctant gun owner. Thankfully, I never had to use it to protect myself. Unfortunately, in our flawed human existence, there might come a time where I do need a weapon for protection.

Despite being a gun owner, I have never gone to a gun show—I would have felt very uncomfortable. Thankfully, the author went to many gun shows in the deep South.

His experiences seemed to be mostly positive. The author seemed surprised that the attendees and vendors were very well-mannered and considerate. I was surprised, too!

Theroux’s experiences were much different from the stereotyped visions that I had imagined. The positive experiences that Theroux reported once again prove that his critics are wrong—his books contain unbiased, honest appraisals of people.

I’ve never been to a horse show, either. And I’ve especially never experienced an upscale racing event that Theroux had attended in Aiken, South Carolina.

He attended the Aiken Steeplechase. The author described the unique, colorful people who attended and worked at the event. His descriptions were eye-opening and entertaining.

Normally, this is the type of event that I would never think of attending. At times, I feel very intimidated by ‘upscale’ people. But, based on the author’s descriptions, maybe I can gather the courage to go.

After all, people just want to have fun in life, and that’s a good thing. And, once again, the author smashed my pre-conceived notions about people in the South.

The Aiken Steeplechase looks like a lot of fun!

While I read Theroux’s book, I was impressed that people in the deep South are friendly, engaging, and helpful to strangers.

At the same time, the author made me aware of the desperate poverty that we have in the United States. People need help all over the world, but they especially need help in the deep South of the United States.

However, despite the desperate poverty of some of the people, they were all willing to help their neighbors who needed a helping hand.

I doubt that I will ever travel through the southeast again in my life. But, at least I can vicariously meet the people, see the beckoning landscapes, and taste the down-home delicious food as told through the author’s sensibilities.

As a bonus, I was fascinated by the author’s knowledge of southern literature. He mentioned many classical authors from the deep South. They included William Faulkner, Mark Twain, Harper Lee, and many more.

When I was young, I ambitiously bought a set of well-known books by Faulkner. I tried my best to forge through each page. Eventually, I gave up in frustration. Faulkner’s books were the only ones I have never read completely through.

Overall, I enjoyed Theroux’s interpretations of southern literature. I especially enjoyed the way classic literature has mirrored the lives of the friendly-but-complicated southern people.

TAKEAWAYS AND RECOMMENDATION

In today’s fast-paced and error-prone world of instant gratification and shallow reporting, it is a pleasure to read a well-written book. Deep South is one of those true gems.

The author’s disciplined, colorful, and insightful writing style makes this a book every person should read. It doesn’t matter what your political or religious beliefs are. And, no matter your race or ethnicity, I think you will enjoy Deep South.

I loved it. In fact, I loved it so much that I have read a few other books by Paul Theroux. They are equally fascinating books about traveling to places I’ve never been.

Thanks for reading our Deep South book banter and review. If you’ve read the book, please share your thoughts in the comments section below!

Content and photos by Doug Martin and Our Book Banter