She would spend a lifetime fighting for her Indian heritage in a white man's world....Daughter of an English fur trader and his wilderness wife, young Coosaponakeesa, princess of the Upper and Lower Creeks, left her Indian village for Charlestown to be reared in the ways of the English. Baptized Mary, the deerskin-clad girl blossomed into a regal beauty, possessing the proud, courageous spirit of her Indian heritage. As wife, mother, and queen, her influence helped forge the greatest trading empire in the Charlestown and Savannah colonies. But times were treacherous, and as the English colonies expanded into the New World, so did the tensions and hostilities between Anglo and Indian. From the stark Indian village on the Chattahoochee River to the bustling streets of Charlestown and Savannah, through sixty years and three husbands, Mary follows her destiny as an indomitable force of peace between two peoples. And as a new nation struggles, Mary proves herself a woman of her land and her heritage...the true queen of her people.

Winner of the 1995 James Beard Award as Best Chef in the Southeast, Elizabeth Terry now dishes up 200 mouth-watering recipes that bring all the warmth of the South and the secrets of her culinary wizardry into the kitchens of home cooks everywhere. From Hearty Okra Gumbo with Chicken and Shrimp to Soft Shell Crabs, here is the native bounty of a rich regional cuisine.

NATIONAL BESTSELLER • A modern classic of true crime, set in a most beguiling Southern city—now in a 30th anniversary edition with a new afterword by the author “Elegant and wicked . . . might be the first true-crime book that makes the reader want to book a bed and breakfast for an extended weekend at the scene of the crime.”—The New York Times Book Review Shots rang out in Savannah’s grandest mansion in the misty, early morning hours of May 2, 1981. Was it murder or self-defense? For nearly a decade, the shooting and its aftermath reverberated throughout this hauntingly beautiful city of moss-hung oaks and shaded squares. In this sharply observed, suspenseful, and witty narrative, John Berendt skillfully interweaves a hugely entertaining first-person account of life in this isolated remnant of the Old South with the unpredictable twists and turns of a landmark murder case. It is a spellbinding story peopled by a gallery of remarkable characters: the well-bred society ladies of the Married Woman’s Card Club; the turbulent young gigolo; the hapless recluse who owns a bottle of poison so powerful it could kill every man, woman, and child in Savannah; the aging and profane Southern belle who is the “soul of pampered self-absorption”; the uproariously funny drag queen; the acerbic and arrogant antiques dealer; the sweet-talking, piano-playing con artist; young people dancing the minuet at the black debutante ball; and Minerva, the voodoo priestess who works her magic in the graveyard at midnight. These and other Savannahians act as a Greek chorus, with Berendt revealing the alliances, hostilities, and intrigues that thrive in a town where everyone knows everyone else. Brilliantly conceived and masterfully written, Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil is a sublime and seductive reading experience.

A poignant memoir of life on the wrong side of the tracks-which was a SIBA bestseller in hardcover-with a colorful cast of misfits, plenty of belly laughs, and lessons for finding joy in spite of hardship Move over, Sweet Potato Queens. Thanks to Lauretta Hannon, the Cracker Queens are finally having their say. From her wildly popular NPR segments to her colorful one-woman show, Hannon is showing the world a different kind of Southern girl-a strong, authentic, fearless, flawed, resourceful, and sometimes outrageous woman-the anti-Southern Belle. The Cracker Queen takes readers from backwater Georgia to Savannah's most eccentric neighborhoods for a wild ride featuring a distinctly dysfunctional family and a lively crew of hellions, heroines, bad seeds, and renegades. Full of warmth, outrageous wit, and world-class storytelling, The Cracker Queen is a celebration of living out loud, finding humor in desperate situations, and loving life to death.

When 24-year-old Savannah learns her mother arranged for her to win a fiction contest, she decides that her mother’s drastic meddling calls for drastic countermeasures. Though first place in a fiction contest guarantees that 24-year-old Savannah Phillip's novel will be published, she soon discovers that her mother—Savannah, Georgia's most charming, if diva-like citizen—is behind her literary win. So, mortified and furious, she resolves to give up her dreams of literary fame. Savannah rejects the coveted publishing contract and returns to her hometown, to prove to her parents, her city, and herself, that she is someone who shouldn't be messed with. Someone who's someone, without her mother's assistance. Someone who can write an unforgettable story all by herself, thank you very much. Following in the footsteps of her career hero, a columnist for The Savannah Chronicle, Savannah gets a job at the paper and sets out to take the journalism world by a storm. Her very first assignment is a quest for truth, investigating what appears to be a rigged beauty pageant. Journey with Savannah as she forges new dreams, uncovers the heartache of loss, and comes to terms with her unique calling. Charming contemporary fiction Part of the Savannah series: Book 1: Savannah from Savannah Book 2: Savannah Comes Undone Book 3: Savannah by the Sea Includes discussion questions for book clubs

Cordelia Owens can weave a hopeful dream around anything and is well used to winning the hearts of everyone in Savannah with her whimsy. Even when she receives word that her sweetheart has been lost during a raid on a Yankee vessel, she clings to hope and comes up with many a romantic tale of his eventual homecoming to reassure his mother and sister. But Phineas Dunn finds nothing redemptive in the first horrors of war. Struggling for months to make it home alive, he returns to Savannah injured and cynical, and all too sure that he is not the hero Cordelia seems determined to make him. Matters of black and white don't seem so simple anymore to Phin, and despite her best efforts, Delia's smiles can't erase all the complications in his life. And when Fort Pulaski falls and the future wavers, they both must decide where the dreams of a new America will take them, and if they will go together.