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The False Cause: Fraud, Fabrication, and White Supremacy in Confederate Memory by Adam H. Domby
mishasbooknook's review
5.0
This is an extremely important text examining the Lost Cause narrative used by Neo-Confederates and White Supremacists, deconstructing it with extensive research. The example of Julian Carr's dedication speech for the erection of the Silent Sam statue at UNC acts as a springboard for the thesis of the text quite effectively, and Domby does a great job in showcasing how memory of the Confederacy has been constructed in specific ways to further a specific ideology - White Supremacy.
I consider this book to be an extremely vital and important read for anyone interested in the topic of whether Confederate monuments should be taken down or not, as Domby does an exceptional job tying the erection and dedications of these statues to White Supremacy and the overturning of Reconstruction. Another work that I believe this would be paired with exceptionally well is Race & Reunion by David Blight as this text feels like a continuation of that seminal work.
Generally I do not give 5 star reviews to historical monographs, but this one is honestly quite exceptional and feels very urgent and necessary. If I had to find weaknesses, it is perhaps that Domby does not include extensive examinations of literature such as Gone with the Wind or Lost Cause narrative supporting and perpetuating films, as film and literature serve as a kind of cultural litmus test for values of the time and popular culture. Considering this book is focused on the specifics of North Carolina, however, it it is hard to say that that analysis would do much for looking at the legacy of the Confederacy in this single state.
If you were looking for a book to read that deconstructs the lies, fabrications, and myths of the Lost Cause narrative, this would be the one to pick up.
I consider this book to be an extremely vital and important read for anyone interested in the topic of whether Confederate monuments should be taken down or not, as Domby does an exceptional job tying the erection and dedications of these statues to White Supremacy and the overturning of Reconstruction. Another work that I believe this would be paired with exceptionally well is Race & Reunion by David Blight as this text feels like a continuation of that seminal work.
Generally I do not give 5 star reviews to historical monographs, but this one is honestly quite exceptional and feels very urgent and necessary. If I had to find weaknesses, it is perhaps that Domby does not include extensive examinations of literature such as Gone with the Wind or Lost Cause narrative supporting and perpetuating films, as film and literature serve as a kind of cultural litmus test for values of the time and popular culture. Considering this book is focused on the specifics of North Carolina, however, it it is hard to say that that analysis would do much for looking at the legacy of the Confederacy in this single state.
If you were looking for a book to read that deconstructs the lies, fabrications, and myths of the Lost Cause narrative, this would be the one to pick up.
akatsuki_clouds's review
challenging
informative
reflective
medium-paced
4.5
A beautiful analysis of what makes up the lost cause and why it isn't based on fact.
kikiandarrowsfishshelf's review against another edition
5.0
If you are dealing with stupid people who do not understand the Civil War, this book helps. Quite a bit.
bessrystrom's review against another edition
4.0
Beyond arming the reader with counterpoints for your relatives that say "it's about heritage, not hate," this book is truly an education. The material is so important, especially to white southerners such as myself who were brought up on the mythologized noble Confederate soldier. That said, this book leaves a lot to be desired stylistically; it was written by an academic for academics and boy can you tell!
"As many Black Lives Matter activists have tried to highlight in the twenty-first century, a society that has a history of controlling people of color with violence does not change its ways overnight.... Similar racist beliefs as to what constituted acceptable behavior and the appropriate response to African Americans who stepped out of their place survived beyond the [Civil War].
White supremacist worldviews justified Klan killings during Reconstruction, lynching during the Jim Crow era, and the use of billy clubs, firehoses, and dogs on civil rights activists in the 1950s and '60s. Fear of black men causing white to resort quickly to violence has a historical precedent that predated the [Civil War] but survives today. That same strand of cultural continuity continues with the disproportionate police shootings of black men. In other words, the modern [Southern] Lost Cause narrative largely overlooks not only the racism within the war but also the conflicts' and slavery's continuing and disturbing impacts on American race relations." (149).
"As many Black Lives Matter activists have tried to highlight in the twenty-first century, a society that has a history of controlling people of color with violence does not change its ways overnight.... Similar racist beliefs as to what constituted acceptable behavior and the appropriate response to African Americans who stepped out of their place survived beyond the [Civil War].
White supremacist worldviews justified Klan killings during Reconstruction, lynching during the Jim Crow era, and the use of billy clubs, firehoses, and dogs on civil rights activists in the 1950s and '60s. Fear of black men causing white to resort quickly to violence has a historical precedent that predated the [Civil War] but survives today. That same strand of cultural continuity continues with the disproportionate police shootings of black men. In other words, the modern [Southern] Lost Cause narrative largely overlooks not only the racism within the war but also the conflicts' and slavery's continuing and disturbing impacts on American race relations." (149).
adkwriter15's review
5.0
"In fact, fabricating a past with lies and fraud might just be an essential component of American history." (Pg 170)
And so ends this book because Adam Domby did not come to play. Up front, this is an academic work with some of the most common issues with that genre (did that sentence need all those words? It didn't), but it is incredibly accessible to the lay person. Wry humor even comes out in parts, which is fantastic. In 170 pages, Domby charts an incredibly packed look at the evolution of the Civil War into the "Lost Cause" narrative. This book was published in 2020, so it references incredibly recent events (up to 2018), perspective missing from the Confederate and Neo-Confederate Reader I just finished. I'm on a kick of being fascinated by what Alexis Coe calls "the lies we believe" and I might be jumping from George Washington myths to this to who knows where afterwards but I am FASCINATED. This is a must read for anyone interested in the topic or simply a concise and rich view of a shift in a historical story and continuum.
Read for an upcoming episode of my podcast on the topic of "The Lost Cause."
And so ends this book because Adam Domby did not come to play. Up front, this is an academic work with some of the most common issues with that genre (did that sentence need all those words? It didn't), but it is incredibly accessible to the lay person. Wry humor even comes out in parts, which is fantastic. In 170 pages, Domby charts an incredibly packed look at the evolution of the Civil War into the "Lost Cause" narrative. This book was published in 2020, so it references incredibly recent events (up to 2018), perspective missing from the Confederate and Neo-Confederate Reader I just finished. I'm on a kick of being fascinated by what Alexis Coe calls "the lies we believe" and I might be jumping from George Washington myths to this to who knows where afterwards but I am FASCINATED. This is a must read for anyone interested in the topic or simply a concise and rich view of a shift in a historical story and continuum.
Read for an upcoming episode of my podcast on the topic of "The Lost Cause."
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