Books That Changed the South Author:Robert B. Downs Books That Changed the South is an examination of 25 significant literary works -- spanning four centuries -- which examine and discuss the American South. It has been said that the South is a region of contradictions, and much of the social, racial, and political development of the region has been prompted or accompanied by significant works o... more »f literature which examine those contradictions. Critical works of literature have repeatedly served to define, critique, and change the South; in a larger context, these seminal works have helped to examine critical issues of humanity and community at key turning points in southern -- and American -- history.« less