Confederates in the Attic was written by Civil War fanatic Tony Horwitz. Tony was introduced to the Civil War by his grandfather, Poppa Isaac, who was very much intrigued by the Civil War. After his grandfather passed away, Horwitz’s father, who also was obsessed with the Civil War, would read him the book titled The Photographic History of the Civil War almost every night when he was a child and Horwitz found himself extremely fascinated by the pictures in the book from the Civil War. Tony decorated the walls of his attic in giant murals of famous Civil War soldiers and battles. As Tony grew up, his Civil War interest took a backseat to his job and wife until twenty-five years later when he started to become obsessed all over again. He moves…show more content… He talks not only about how the confederate flag is associated with slavery and hate, but also how it can be associated with heritage. While many southerns in this book are blatantly racist, and are in favor of white supremacy, others are not racist and see the confederate flag as a way to relate and connect with their ancestors. Tony Horwitz description of real life experiences allows the book to remain entertaining. By using a variety of sources from all over the South, Horwitz gives the reader a realistic and true view of the many reasons why the memory of the Civil War continues to play such a significant role in modern southern society. Confederates in the Attic also makes it easier to see that issues people thought were in the past, are still very relevant in today's society. Organizations such as the KKK are resurfacing along with Nazi parties. Horwitz did a very good job showing the reasons why others are so fascinated by the Civil War, however, he had difficulty figuring out why he is so fascinated by it. Even after hearing the opinions of the many people he interviewed throughout his trip through the confederate south, Horwitz never comes to the conclusion as to why he became so mesmerized by the Civil
