NASHVILLE, Tennessee – The South resides in our collective psyche as an unchanged place, indistinguishable from the picture introduced through film and texts.
Designated the Athens of the South, a replica of the Parthenon was built and is surrounded by park-goers today in Nashville. Citizens circle the building, play-acting at the amphitheater, and nearby students play volleyball.
Not too far by car, Civil War sites dot the landscape of Tennessee. The area is small for events that are denoted in history books. Elsewhere, the Trail of Tears also cuts through central Tennessee.
A visit to Stones River Battlefield will illustrate lessons in the hardships our nation went through, blood shed for each side’s principles, before arriving at where we are at today.
Downtown, even though much of Vandy campus has remained the same over the years, there has also been the apparent stamp of change. Taller skyscrapers dot the scene, and with it comes more stifling traffic. The record stores and downtown bars try to maintain their relevance through this ever-shifting world.
Nashville Book Recommendations:
Voices of Cherokee Women, by Carolyn Ross Johnston, 2013.
Memories of the Cherokee’s fight for preserving their culture, in the face of great adversity and dismantling.
Memphis Movie, by Corey Mesler, 2015.
Micro-doses of the frenetic nature of movie-making, as set in Memphis, a town removed from Hollywood, a fact we’re constantly reminded in this book.
postcardsfromanne.com 