A coming of age story about the son of a cotton plantation owner in ante-bellum Mississippi. As the country hurtles toward civil war, the young man's desire for personal freedom - and for the South to be free from northern "tyranny" - lies in contrast with his blindness to the injustice of African American slavery. "Masterfully brings to life a South in dramatic transition." -- Kirkus Reviews. Interwoven with the early history of the University of Mississippi and with the teachings of southern white churches in support of slavery, the novel explores the meaning of independence,...