36. #PopsugarReadingChallenge: The Wind Done Gone

Popsugar Reading Challenge category: First of two books set in sister cities
Book: The Wind Done Gone, by Alice Randall

Set mainly in Atlanta, The Wind Done Gone is billed as an "unauthorized parody" of Gone With the Wind. With the exception of Mammy, the characters are referred to by nicknames, but they're easily identifiable: Scarlett is "Other," Rhett Butler is "Debt Chauffer," Ashley is "Dreamy Gentleman," Melanie is "Mealy Mouth," etc. The story is told by Cynara, Mammy's daughter and Scarlett's unacknowledged half-sister.

The slaves' lives take center stage, and their ferocious loyalty to the O'Haras turns out to be a facade they've created for their own protection. Cynara struggles with the way Mammy always seemed to favor Scarlett over her, and becomes Rhett's mistress because she wants him to lover her more. A packet of long-hidden letters reveals that Scarlett's mother had the dreaded "one drop of Negro blood," making Cynara question everything she thought she knew.

The book is funny, moving, and utterly merciless to romanticized views of the Noble Confederacy.

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