The best-known story of integration in baseball is Jackie Robinson, who broke the major league color line in 1947 after coming up through the minor leagues the previous year. His story, however, differs from those of the many players who integrated the game in the Jim Crow South at all professional levels. Chris Holaday offers readers the first book-length history of baseball’s integration in the Carolinas, showing its slow and unsteady progress, narrating the experience of players in a ra...

Once upon a time, Chapel Hill, a town synonymous with the University of North Carolina, offered little more than simple cafés. In recent years, it has developed a diverse restaurant culture and today is home to some of the country's most creative chefs. From legendary student hangouts to one of the South's most famed barbecue joints to the birthplace of shrimp and grits, all of these establishments helped earn the area recognition as a top dining destination. Local authors Chris Holaday an...

The Tobacco State League played an important role in eastern North Carolina for five summers (1946-1950), giving small-town communities a chance to be a part of professional baseball and offering a return to normalcy after World War II. Years later, the players' names were spoken with reverence, their exploits the subject of impassioned discussion.This book tells the story of the short-lived league and the clubs who entertained fans on dusty ball fields under dim lights, including ...

The story of the restaurant industry in Durham is also the story of a once prosperous tobacco town that suffered through a long decline only to undergo a stunning rebirth. Legendary barbecue restaurants such as Little Acorn, Bullock's and Dillard's and small cafés like Lewis' served generations of tobacco industry workers. Establishments such as Annamaria's and the Ivy Room were aimed at the growing college student population. More recently, Nana's, Magnolia Grill and other award-winning e...

"Mouthwatering bread recipes . . . The authors bring heartwarming stories of Southern kitchens, told by hushpuppies, biscuits, and everything in between." — Southern LivingThe warmth of the oven and the smell of fresh-baked bread conjure comforting memories of tradition and place. Aside from being a staple on every table in the South, these breads and their recipes detail the storied history of the region. Biscuits emerged from Native American and European...