Book review: Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil

Three for three so far on choosing books - I've liked them all.  An un-vetted, saw-it-on-the-shelf-and-grabbed-it one is up next for the end of the month, so wish me luck.

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I'm a little late to the party (like, I remember my mom reading this book when I was 8 or so [1]) but John Berendt's Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil was very good. It's interesting; it's weird. What more do you want out of a narrative non-fiction read?

There's a little something for everybody here: murder mystery--religious rites--high society rituals--public scandal--drag queens--lawyers--sports devotion--the South, writ large. I can't really think of a downside, other than it's a little dated, in terms of language and representation.

But here's the quote you need. It's the entire essence of the book:

She could hardly exclaim, "Isn't it wonderful!" because a plot involving sodomy, murder, and theft could in no way be described as wonderful. There was nothing in those horrid little stories that was even slightly discussable at a polite luncheon party.

xo,
Devo

[1] I definitely thought it was a spooky book, based on its title and cover. Spoiler: It's not.