Growing up in Atlanta, I was surrounded by reminders of the Civil War that extended from the classroom to local battlefields. As the daughter of a history teacher, I had done my fair share of research on the subject (whether or not I enjoyed reading historical signs along the highway). However, nothing provides a perspective more interesting on such a complex period of our country\u2019s history than Margaret Mitchell\u2019s novel, Gone with the Wind<\/i>. The work, inspired by stories Mitchell was told as a child at the turn of the century, follows the journey of Scarlett O\u2019Hara as she transforms from a spoiled Southern belle to a war widow who will do nearly anything for money. Not only does Gone with the Wind <\/i>examine the private lives of slave owners, but it also exposes the desperation of the Reconstruction Era. This novel is no light read; readers are forced to confront the purpose and effects of the Civil War while questioning whether the heroine is even likeable. However, I highly recommend looking at the Civil War from this alternative perspective.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Growing up in Atlanta, I was surrounded by reminders of the Civil War that extended from the classroom to local battlefields. As the daughter of a history teacher, I had done my fair share of research on the subject (whether or not I enjoyed reading historical signs along the highway). However, nothing provides a perspective … <\/p>\n