PositiveThe Arkansas InternationalMargaret Renkl’s collection of essays from The New York Times, unfolds like a \'patchwork quilt\' of voices, stories, and perspectives from the American South, underscoring how the South is neither one entity nor one voice ... While these essays were written during the Trump presidency, and some during the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, Renkl illustrates more what has been gained rather than lost in our communities ... Her essays on family and growing up in Alabama bring us back to our own heirloom stories, recipes, and holiday traditions, and what it means to feel the guiding hand of previous generations. The real treats of this collection are her essays celebrating the legacies of two influential Johns in American history: the late John Lewis and John Prine.
