The Mississippi Delta has been called "the most southern place on
earth." This fertile expanse of flat land sprawls along the Mississippi
River from Memphis, Tennessee, southward to Vicksburg, Mississippi.
Culturally rich as well, the Delta is the land where the blues
began. New Delta Rising is an exploration of Mississippi Delta life and
a celebration of the indefatigable Delta people who live
there.Award-winning photographer Magdalena Sole spent a year interviewing
and photographing hundreds of residents in the Mississippi Delta. The
deep connection she felt comes through in the compelling images in this
book. Sole captures their personal dignity, resilience, and
resourcefulness, along with the closeness of family and community she
found among them. The accompanying text gives voice to the people of the
Delta, illuminating their strength and character and spirit---a spirit
bound up in a deeply rooted sense of place and shown in their compassion
for one another. In their stories the people of the Delta have much to
offer to the rest of the United States. Rick Bragg, the acclaimed author
of All Over but the Shoutin', contributes to the volume a lyrical
essays evoking the distinctive aura of the Mississippi Delta. He writes,
"Myth and magic and legend swirl into the real world, and it can be
hard to tell where one stops and the other begins."
