Lanterns on the Levee

By William Alexander Percy,

Book cover of Lanterns on the Levee: Recollections of a Planter's Son

Book description

Born and raised in Greenville, Mississippi, within the shelter of old traditions, aristocratic in the best sense, William Alexander Percy in his lifetime (1885--1942) was brought face to face with the convulsions of a changing world. Lanterns on the Levee is his memorial to the South of his youth and…

When you buy books, we may earn a commission that helps keep our lights on (or join the rebellion as a member).

Why read it?

1 author picked Lanterns on the Levee as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?

William Alexander Percy was an enigma. He was an attorney, a published poet, a World War I hero, and a ruling member of the planter class during his life in the Mississippi Delta (1885-1942). His father was a United States Senator, and his mother was French Catholic, a fact that riled the KKK members in 1920s Mississippi.

Percy is recognized as a godfather to the Southern Agrarians Robert Penn Warren, John Crowe Ransom, and Allen Tate. This is a look back to a strange time in America. Some of the languages, especially those discussing race, are hard to read, but…

From Willy's list on Southern culture.

If you love Lanterns on the Levee...

Ad

Book cover of Tap Dancing on Everest: A Young Doctor's Unlikely Adventure

Tap Dancing on Everest by Mimi Zieman,

Tap Dancing on Everest, part coming-of-age memoir, part true-survival adventure story, is about a young medical student, the daughter of a Holocaust survivor raised in N.Y.C., who battles self-doubt to serve as the doctor—and only woman—on a remote Everest climb in Tibet.

The team attempts a new route up…

Want books like Lanterns on the Levee?

Our community of 12,000+ authors has personally recommended 100 books like Lanterns on the Levee.

Browse books like Lanterns on the Levee

Book cover of Rising Tide: The Great Mississippi Flood of 1927 and How It Changed America
Book cover of Deep Blues: A Musical and Cultural History of the Mississippi Delta
Book cover of Collected Stories of William Faulkner

Share your top 3 reads of 2024!

And get a beautiful page showing off your 3 favorite reads.

1,900

readers submitted
so far, will you?

Ad

📚 If you like Lanterns on the Levee, you might also like...

Book cover of Who Is a Worthy Mother?: An Intimate History of Adoption

Who Is a Worthy Mother? by Rebecca Wellington,

I grew up thinking that being adopted didn’t matter. I was wrong. This book is my journey uncovering the significance and true history of adoption practices in America. Now, in the wake of the U.S. Supreme Court’s overturning of Roe v. Wade, the renewed debate over women’s reproductive rights places…

Book cover of The Coaching Habit: Say Less, Ask More & Change the Way You Lead Forever

The Coaching Habit by Michael Bungay Stanier,

The coaching book that's for all of us, not just coaches.

It's the best-selling book on coaching this century, with 15k+ online reviews. Brené Brown calls it "a classic". Dan Pink said it was "essential".

It is practical, funny, and short, and "unweirds" coaching. Whether you're a parent, a teacher,…

5 book lists we think you will like!

Interested in Mississippi, plantations, and home?

Mississippi 89 books
Plantations 31 books
Home 84 books