"Weavesagricultural, social, and political history into a thorough and compellinghistory of the Bright Belt tobacco region. Highly recommended."-- Choice "Animportant addition to our understanding of the shaping of tobacco agriculture,especially in the context of government farm programs."-- Journal ofSouthern History "Aclear, concise roadmap through the complexities of post-Civil War tobacco lifeand policy. Captures the opportunities and challenges of southernagriculture as it moved into the modern age."-- Agricultural History "Asolidly researched and well-documented study of one tobacco region from the1860s through the early 2000s, and, as such, will be useful to many scholars ofagriculture and the South."-- AAG Review of Books "Examinesthe transformation of tobacco work from the end of slavery to the present dayin order to consider the cultural and political ramifications ofmodernization."-- Journal of Economic Literature "Aconcise study of families, farm labor, and federal policy in the Old BrightBelt region of North Carolina and Virginia.
Bennett provides historical contextfor tobacco's past and future."-- North Carolina Historical Review "Providesan indispensable historical and analytical perspective on one of the mostimportant crops and agricultural landscapes in the United States. Thisbook is highly recommended, insightful and readable."-- FloridaHistorical Quarterly "Well-writtenand thoroughly researched. A fine summary of the complex issuessurrounding bright tobacco culture in its most historic setting."-- Registerof the Kentucky Historical Society.