{"product_id":"the-realms-of-oblivion-an-excavation-of-the-davies-manor-historic-sites-omitted-stories-9780826506818","title":"The Realms of Oblivion: An Excavation of the Davies Manor Historic Site's Omitted Stories","description":"\u003ci\u003eThe Realms of Oblivion\u003c\/i\u003e explores the complexities involved in reconciling competing versions of history, channeled through Davies Manor, a historic site near Memphis that once centered a wealthy slave-owning family's sprawling cotton plantation. Interrogating the forces of memorialization that often go unquestioned in the stories we believe about ourselves and our communities, this book simultaneously tells an informative and engrossing bottom-up history--of the Davies family, of the Black families they enslaved and exploited across generations, and of Memphis and Shelby County--while challenging readers to consider just what upholds the survival of that history into the present day. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e Written in an engaging and critical style, \u003ci\u003eThe Realms of Oblivion\u003c\/i\u003e is grounded in a rich source base, ranging from nineteenth-century legal records to the personal papers of the Davies family to twentieth-century African American oral histories. Author Andrew C. Ross uses these sources to unearth the stark contrast between the version of Davies Manor's history that was built out of nostalgia, and the version that records have proven to actually be true. As a result, Ross illuminates the ongoing need for a deep and honest reckoning with the history of the South and of the United States, on the part of both individuals and community institutions such as local historic sites and small museums.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAbout the Author\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAndrew C. Ross\u003c\/b\u003e is a Memphis-based writer and museum professional. He has worked as the museum director for The Blues Foundation and as executive director for the Davies Manor Association, where he led the development of the award-winning exhibit \u003ci\u003eOmitted in Mass: Rediscovering Lost Narratives of Enslavement, Migration, and Memory through the Davies Family's Papers\u003c\/i\u003e. His writing has appeared in \u003ci\u003eMemphis Magazine\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eDelta Magazine\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eTexas Highways\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eMississippi Sports Magazine\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eThe Daily Beast\u003c\/i\u003e, and various newspapers.\u003cbr\u003e","brand":"Vanderbilt University Press","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":50892805767442,"sku":"9780826506818","price":20.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0831\/4771\/8930\/files\/img_48791ed8-79dd-449c-9fb7-4ee401cd4279.jpg?v=1738207276","url":"https:\/\/surprise-castle.myshopify.com\/products\/the-realms-of-oblivion-an-excavation-of-the-davies-manor-historic-sites-omitted-stories-9780826506818","provider":"Surprise Castle","version":"1.0","type":"link"}