Books in the Banner Books series

Will D. Campbell writes about his life growing up poor in Amite County, Mississippi, during the 1930s alongside his older brother, Joe. Brother to a Dragonfly serves as a historical record. Though Will's love and dedication to his brother are the primary story, interwoven throughout the narrative is the story of the Jim Crow South and the civil rights movement.

In this subtle and illuminating work Michael Kammen traces the evolving concept of liberty throughout American history and provides a solid framework for understanding the meaning of the term today.

Elizabeth Spencer is captivated by Italy. For her it has been a second home. A one-time resident who returns there, this native-born Mississippian has found Italy to be an enchanting land whose culture lends itself powerfully to her artistic vision. This is a collection of her Italian tales.

This fascinating history set in the Reconstruction South is a testament to African-American resilience, fortitude, and independence. It tells of three attempts to create an ideal community on the river bottom lands at Davis Bend south of Vicksburg.

Readers captivated by this book will be happy that Bill Ferris found Ray Lum and that he thought to turn on a tape recorder. This delightful book, first published in 1992 as You Live and Learn. Then You Die and Forget It All, preserves Lum's colourful folk dialect and captures the essence of this one-of-a-kind figure.

A paean to the vanishing family cotton farm

Parisian Pauline Guyot (1805-1886), who wrote under the nom de plume Camille Lebrun. Among her works is a hitherto-untranslated 1845 French novel, Amitie et devouement, ou Trois mois a la Louisiane. E. Joe Johnson and Robin Anita White have recovered this work, providing a translation, an accessible introduction, and period illustrations.