South to America: A Journey Below the Mason Dixon to Understand the Soul of a Nation

What is Perry’s purpose in writing South to America? How does she perceive the South as a Black woman of Southern heritage who lives in the North?

What argument is Perry making about the South, and how does she support it? How does she define the South, and what areas comprise it?

At the end of Chapter 11, Perry writes that we “know the song, maybe even the story [of the US’s history of repression], but I want you to study its provenance. Because it belongs to you, too. We are all implicated; we all are. But will you serve as witness” (212)? What is your answer to her question? How can contemporary Americans define and understand the South? How does the region shape US identity and your personal identity?