The name 'Alabama' comes from the Choctaw word meaning "clearers of the thickets," inspiring the title of this fascinating new book. It examines Alabama's early history, beginning with the era of European colonization and culminating with the state's controversial secession from the Union-after just 41 years as a state (recognizing, of course, that the actual history began long before, with Native American civilizations). In so doing, the author traces how Alabama emerged from a raw frontier of European settlement into a fully functioning state that provided much-needed order to its new...