One of the few books concerned solely with the humor of a single state, this volume includes samples of what North Carolinians have laughed at -- and with -- from 1709 to the present. It is a rich anthology of Tar Heel anecdotes, homespun quips, hilarious stories, folklore, exaggerations, and observations. In this wide range of humor, Walser has provided a valuable recording of American folklore and the social history of North Carolina.
From the late nineteenth century well into the 1960s, North Carolina boasted some of the nation's most restrictive laws on alcohol production and sale. For much of this era, it was also the nation's leading producer of bootleg liquor. Over the years, written accounts, popular songs, and Hollywood movies have turned the state's moonshiners, fast cars, and frustrated Feds into legends. But in Tar Heel Lightnin', Daniel S. Pierce tells the real history of moonshine in North Carolina as never before. This well-illustrated, entertaining book introduces a surprisingly varied cast of characters who operated secret stills and ran liquor from the swamps of the Tidewater to Piedmont forests and mountain coves. From the state's earliest days through Prohibition to the present, Pierce shows that moonshine crossed race and economic lines, linking men and women, the rebellious and the respectable, the oppressed and the merely opportunistic. As Pierce recounts, even churchgoing types might run shipments of "that good ol' mountain dew" when hard times came and there was no social safety net to break the fall. Folklore, popular culture, and changing laws have helped fuel a renaissance in making and drinking commercial moonshine, and Pierce shows how today's producers understand their ties to the past. Above all, this book reveals that moonshine's long, colorful history features surprises that can change how we understand a state and a region.
The Tar Heels -Volume I- is the first of a three volume work by Ron Smith. Ron's exhaustive research of over 30 years has uncovered details about the formation of UNC Basketball and every season beginning in 1911. Ron's research uncovered interesting details and unique images for every season, many have never been published. This comprehensive book includes rosters, schedules, results and stats for each season. Thousands of UNC fans know why they love Tar Heel Basketball. And now they can learn how the program became one of the most successful and respected in college basketball. This is likely the most comprehensive history book ever created for a sports program at any level. All Tar Heel fans will be proud to have a copy.You will learn about the beginnings of the UNC Basketball program with interesting stories about key people and events that formed the foundation of this great program. Volume I covers every season from 1911 - 1961. Volume II will cover the Dean Smith years, 1962-1997 and Volume III the Roy Williams years, 1998-Current.
In this laugh-out-loud and heartfelt memoir, writer, speaker, and podcaster Molly Stillman shares her unforgettable story of losing her mother, squandering an unexpected quarter-of-a-million-dollar inheritance in less than two years, attempting to launch a career in comedy but ending up on a farm instead, and finding faith, hope, and joy in the middle of it all. Molly Stillman has lived the type of life that when shared, people stop in their tracks and ask, "Wait, what happened?" Molly's mother, Lynda Van Devanter Buckley served as an Army nurse during the Vietnam War and wrote the bestselling memoir, Home Before Morning. When Molly was seventeen, Lynda passed away after an eight-year battle with an autoimmune disorder due to her exposure to Agent Orange. Four years later, Molly turned twenty-one and unexpectedly inherited a quarter of a million dollars from her mother's estranged family's estate. Through "retail therapy" and a long series of grossly irresponsible financial decisions, Molly found herself broke with over $36,000 in credit card debt less than two years later. Shame, guilt, and embarrassment set in. With aspirations of a career in comedy, Molly used humor to mask the pain and brokenness she felt, believing that if she looked joyful and put together on the outside, it would eventually be true on the inside. Instead, she spent the next few years depressed, lonely, and feeling alienated from those closest to her. But an unlikely call with a compassionate credit counselor, meeting the spreadsheet-loving man who eventually became her husband, and a surprising visit to a church started her on a path that changed everything. If I Don't Laugh, I'll Cry will bring readers into the tension of feeling both joy and grief and show them that every broken, messed up story has a purpose, and it's possible to gain everything if they're willing to surrender it all to Jesus.
